


Mismatched

by orion_keep_me_company



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Pining, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Spirits, Vampire Victor Nikiforov, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:15:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 137,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9286103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orion_keep_me_company/pseuds/orion_keep_me_company
Summary: Viktor Nikiforov has spent two thousand years without a soulmate, having given up centuries ago. Yuuri Katsuki has to struggle with leading thousands of werewolves despite being the youngest leader in werewolf history. To get himself taken seriously, Yuuri puts his life in danger and convinces the wolf's temporary leader, his sister Mari, to declare a war with the vampires so he can prove himself. He succeeds and becomes the bane of Viktor's life.Unfortunately for both Viktor and Yuuri, the universe knows that they're destined for each other, despite the number of times they've tried to kill each other in the past few years.





	1. The Start

It was ironic, really. Viktor didn’t care about her name, but that was the only thing of his that she cared about. He was embracing a delightfully tasting elven girl. Her blood was hearty and in this depressing atmosphere it was exactly what he needed. There was a political gathering of the leaders of the various different supernatural being groups today. Everyone knew it was to make a death announcement. Rumor had it that it had something to do with the wolves.

He hummed in appreciation at the thought while he drank. Werewolves were tedious and irritating creatures. As cliché as it was, Viktor hated wolves. Vampires and wolves had never had a good relationship. They saw each other as uncivilized monsters. Vampires thought wolves were filthy and hormone driven. Wolves thought vampires were soulless and callous. So if a wolf had died, all the better. Less annoyances from them, then.

Viktor pushed the thought away as he contemplated what he would do once he came into power and Yakov stepped down. He would make sure those wolves learned their place. Yakov insisted that they keep relations peaceful, at the least, but Viktor saw no reason for that. They were inferior and deserved to be treated as such. Viktor carefully pulled himself out of that thought process in favor of moaning into the elven girl’s neck. Idly Viktor realized calling her a girl wasn’t fair because she was clearly an adult but compared to him everyone was a child so he discarded the thought. She did taste delicious though, and her blood was warming him in just the right ways.

She moaned as her hands started to explore his chest. He had no intention or desire for sex at the moment, but he could taste that she did. Taking blood sometimes led to hormones getting riled up, but even Viktor had enough class not to go into something like that now. Something was creeping into his mind though. Someone was coming down the hall toward the room they were in. Surely no one would be stupid enough to interrupt a feeding vampire. Most vampires got so possessive while feeding that interrupting often led to the intruder’s head being removed.

The door burst open and Viktor pulled away in pure shock. He loosened his grip on the girl and she looked towards the door with him. Standing in the open doorway was a small boy. He had big brown eyes and a mess of inky black hair on his head. He was a child really, or at least looked like it, plenty of species aged differently after all.

The boy was in a dress shirt and slacks, looking far too formal and neat for his expression. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he was trembling. But as Viktor locked eyes with the child the boy seemed to freeze, tears halting. There was almost a spark between them, something indescribable that happened in the second their eyes met. Viktor sniffed the air slightly, in hopes of figuring out what the boy was and was made immediately aware that the boy was a wolf. He was so small. He hadn’t seen one so young in years.

The moment was broken though as the girl started to react first out of the three. She tensed in Viktor’s arms and stepped away. Anger rolling off of her in waves. She wasn’t anyone important, just a servant or guard for someone else, but elves were strong in magic in their own right. She took another step towards the boy and the child flinched as her harsh words came out to ring in the air.

“You stupid mutt, what the hell do you think you’re doing here? Do you want to die?” Viktor couldn’t tell if she was reacting as such because she knew the danger of interrupting a vampire feeding or if she was really that angry. Her next step indicated the later. Viktor finally looked at her and could tell from a glance that she really was ready to tear the kid’s head off. Just as he was about to reach out and stop her he heard a low growl.

“Touch him and you won’t live more than a minute longer.” In a blur, the boy was being pushed back behind a livid werewolf. Viktor’s eyes widened and he stepped back, instantly recognized her. She was Mari Katsuki. Heir to the wolves. If he was anyone else, he would have been positive she was going to kill him with the look of pure animalistic rage that was burning in her eyes. It was unnerving to see in such a random location. That expression was normally only worn by wolves in battle who had just witnessed a loved one die.

She looked ready for a fight though and Viktor quickly yanked the elven girl back closer to him. Mari would tear the girl to shreds easily. That was the danger of wolves for many, their strength was swift and inherent, no need for preparation or bracing. If you intended to live by fighting with magic, you had to be prepared and the elven girl had tensed up to the point he knew she hadn’t spared a second to think about preparing a defense.

Viktor stared at Mari while Mari stared at the girl in his arms. The tension was broken when a hiccup of a sob broke the silence. In that instance it clicked, Mari was here to retrieve the boy but when she turned to look at him, Viktor felt guilt rip through his chest. If the boy had looked alarmed before he downright appeared to be having a mental breakdown now. His face was crumpled and he had his arms wrapped tightly around him. He was trembling and appeared to have collapsed on the ground by this point. Mari quickly kneeled next to him, mumbling something in soothing Japanese.

It did nothing, the boy’s sobs just became more hysterical. Viktor was vaguely aware that this had to be something of a panic attack and he could only stare in horror that such a small child was going through it. Mari tried to touch his shoulder but he jerked away and shouted in Japanese before continuing his sobs. He looked so fragile.

Viktor braced himself though, wolves, no matter what their age, were never tolerated in his experience to behave that way to a superior, emotional state unstable or otherwise. He held his breath, waiting for the moment where Mari would retaliate but it never came. Viktor raised his brows in surprise but only continued to stare at what she did next.

She grabbed the boy and pressed him to her chest, burying his face into her neck and murmuring sweetly to him. Viktor even saw the elven girl’s eyes widen at this. Wolves considered their necks to be the most important spot to them. Their scents were strongest there after all and it was so vulnerable. Viktor had never before seen anyone of a higher wolf ranking comfort a child of lower rank in such a manner. He knew from what he had learned over the years that the scent of an authority figure, such as the heir or commander or an alpha, had an immensely comforting effect on other wolves. Putting the child’s face to her neck seemed excessive since the scent would be so intense but Viktor decided now was not the time to question the scenario.

The pair stayed like that for a moment, simply embracing as the boy’s sobs ceased. Carefully, Mari stood, still holding the boy in her arms to her chest. He clung to her and seemed lost in his own little world. Mari made eye contact with Viktor that screamed her desire to get revenge for whatever just happened, but she refrained from growling and turned to leave. Not uttering a word to him.

Despite no words being spoken, Viktor still felt unnerved.

-

Hours later at the banquet Viktor’s suspicions were confirmed. Hiroko Katsuki had died, wife of the leader of the wolves. It was a blow to their kind, she was a second mother for many. The picture of motherly love. The news that followed was even more surprising, Toshiya Katsuki had died as well. That had apparently been the real reason behind the assembly. The news had to be announced that their daughter Mari was the next leader of the wolves and had already officially taken over.

The explanation for their deaths was vague, but none could argue. Hiroko had become sickly after the birth of her second child a few short years ago. She passed a few months after the baby was delivered. Grief stricken, her husband had barely been able to keep himself together and his health suffered. A few weeks ago he passed. That was all they had been told.

Viktor found it sad but pushed it from his mind. He did not want to think about the stupid wolves and their fragile, short lives. They were considered semi-mortal. They could live hundreds of years but around 500 their bodies seemed to wither away until death. Both the Katsuki’s had been in their 300s so it had come as a shock. Despite the horribly depressing mood of the place, Viktor was damned and determined to get shit face drunk so he could forget all about the odd encounter earlier and the news of the evening. Yakov and him would be traveling back tomorrow and it would all be over anyway.

Despite Viktor’s determination to put all of the memories away with too many drinks Yakov had another idea. Viktor hadn’t even finished his first glass when the elder vampire showed up and forced him to put the glass down. “I heard about what happened.” He said flatly, expression disapproving and irritated, but since that was such a common expression on him Viktor paid no mind to it.

“Oh really?” Viktor opted for instead, taking a sip of his drink, before quickly placing it down on the table that he was standing by to avoid getting publically yelled at by his mentor.

“You are going to apologize.” The man said before turning and walking away, knowing the younger vampire would follow. The tone meant that if Viktor disobeyed or even thought of trying to sneak away then he was definitely going to regret it. Yakov infrequently resorted to that tone, and consequently Viktor knew it was time to back off and do as he was told.

At first Viktor was unsure of who Yakov was referring to but as they steadily made their way through the banquet hall, he figured it out quickly. They were approaching the boy from earlier. He looked calm as ice. His hair styled back and his clothes fixed so that his black dress shirt and pants of the same color looked immaculate. Not a hair out of place. He looked morbid. Too morbid for a child.

The eerie atmosphere was thankfully broken by the fact that the child was drinking a small cup of milk and was munching on snacks from one of the tables. Next to the boy, was a young woman who was dressed in a simple black dress. At first glance Viktor assumed it was his mother, but quickly focused as Yakov stopped a few steps behind the child, waiting for him to notice. The woman looked at Yakov, her eyes widening and quickly saying something to the boy.

Startled, the boy jerked away from the table, eyes widening in surprise and sat down his glass near the snacks. He turned and gave his full attention to Yakov, only sparing a glance at Viktor. With that glance Viktor could see the boy tense.

Yakov ignored Viktor’s silence and simply addressed the boy in English, “My name is Yakov Feltsman. It is a pleasure to meet you. I offer my condolences.” He said with a sad look in his eyes. Viktor eyed the old man suspiciously, everyone here should already know who he is, even a child that was brought with for some reason. Yakov glanced, irritated at Viktor before continuing, “I apologize for my student’s actions earlier, he did not know who were you were.”

Yuri’s eyes strayed from Yakov and locked with Viktor’s. The boy relaxed as he stared at him, but said nothing for a few moments. The woman was uncomfortable, and coughed as though to prompt the boy. The child didn’t even spare the woman a glance before speaking in a calm voice, “It is nice to formally meet you Viktor Nikiforov. My name is Yuuri Katsuki.”

Viktor felt his blood run cold. He knew it could be seen in his face, but he hardly cared. This boy had to be the Katsuki’s new child. This child must have been the one that spiraled Hiroko’s health into an early grave. Katsuki was the name reserved to the current ruling family of the wolves. No others could take it. And if the boy had been Mari’s she would have been introducing the boy’s other parent at the same time. Speaking of Mari, that explained why she had comforted this Yuuri earlier in such a manor. He was her younger brother.

Viktor might have missed something but the woman prompted Yuuri to continue for some reason she must be a nanny of some sort. “And how old are you, Yuuri?” She asked in a soft, prompting voice.

Yuuri seemed to hesitate before looking up at Viktor, “I’m five years old.” Fuck, this kid was young. Viktor had over two thousand years on him yet the boy had already experienced the loss of family in a way Viktor could only fathom. Guilt raced through his veins and Viktor knew it was painfully evident on his face.

Yuuri tilted his head in an unmistakably childish way as he spoke again, “Do all vampires smell like you?” He said, addressing Viktor before looking at his nanny. She looked appalled and started rushing out something in Japanese to the boy, sounding horrified. He had seemed genuinely interested. Viktor frowned, unsure how to respond. The question was rude, after all.

Yakov laughed and patted Viktor on the back, “Yes they do, Katsuki-san. Viktor here would be considered average in scents.” At the irritated glance Viktor was giving him, Yakov responded, “You are the first vampire Katsuki-san has met. He isn’t familiar with vampires’ scents.”

Viktor nodded, stunned, surprised, and appalled, he knew wolves didn’t care for vampires’ scents but that didn’t mean he was emotionally prepared for being borderline insulted by a child.

The rest of the conversation dulled to a buzz as did the rest of the evening for Viktor.

-

The next time Viktor and Yuuri’s paths crossed, it had been nearly a decade. Viktor had opted out of every banquet since then, he didn’t have to go after all. Consequently, he was uncertain whether or not Yuuri had been there at all. Viktor was only coming this year because it was the first year his own Yuri could attend.

Vampires did not pass down leadership with family, as wolves did. Instead it was based upon careful consideration and process of elimination. Yakov was Viktor’s mentor. If Yakov passed, it was understood Viktor would succeed him. Vampire leaders have numerous students until they settle on one. They would watch the selected one for hundreds of years, to be certain. After a few hundred years passed the student would then look for someone to mentor. After deciding on a descent candidate, the current leader would determine whether or not the new student wasn’t a train wreck of a choice. If the choice was good the leader would prepare to step down for their student to take over.

It was done in this fashion to make sure that the new leader not only was perfectly chosen, but that the new leader was already looking to the future. The process could last thousands of years. There had only been a handful of leaders throughout history. Regardless though, young, feisty Yuri Plitsetsky was Viktor’s choice for a student. He appeared to be around fifteen, frozen at such a young age, but in actuality was already well over 100. Yakov was preparing to step down and Viktor knew it. While many might consider this a time for weakness, with the changing of leadership soon, it was in fact a strong point. Everyone knew it too. They had a dedicated and determined leader with hundreds of years under his belt. A new leader soon with energy to spare and something to prove. And a promising future with the new student. No one would dare try the vampires right now. Or at least, that’s what most would expect.

They would be wrong.

The banquet was already mostly over. Banquets were mostly just a formal event to socialize and let each group announce any relevant news for the coming years. Most everyone had gone by this point. Viktor was busy pointing out important individuals to Yuri. These events were only for the upper class and their servants. Consequently, Yuri had little to know idea who everyone was. Viktor was just pointing out Mari Katsuki when his attention shifted and he focused on a figure approaching. Yuri noticed his mentor’s line of sight and couldn’t help but stare as well.

Approaching them was a teen, appearing around Yuri’s age. He had a blank expression on, but even without any emotion it was obvious he was oozing confidence. People turned and stared as the young man passed. He had on a simple white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black slacks on. His pale skin and dark hair complimented his attire fantastically. He was calm and collected, as though he wasn’t walking towards two of the most dangerous people in the room.

He stopped in front of them, giving Viktor an expectant look, as though waiting for him to speak. Yuri would have said something if there wasn’t a feeling in his gut telling him to keep his mouth shut if he wanted to keep his tongue. Eventually, the man sighed and spoke with a hint of irritation in his voice, “Long time no see, Nikiforov.” He said flatly, apparently having anticipated being recognized. Yuri was glad he had kept his mouth shut, to address a soon leader by just their last name would indicate either a death wish or being on equal standing of the soon leader if not higher.

It was entertaining to see Viktor slowly try to piece things together before speaking, “Yuuri…. Katsuki?” He sounded clueless and Yuri held his breath, how the fuck could Viktor not recognize the most likely heir of the wolves?! They had met after all. Then again, if Yuri recalled Viktor hadn’t seen the other since the kid was five. Okay, maybe it was alright.

Yuuri laughed and rolled his eyes, “The one and only.” He shifted his eyes to Yuri and offered his hand to shake, “Yuri Plisetsky, right?” Yuri nodded as he shook the other’s hand. His mind spinning. Yes, the other definitely was aging well for a wolf but that couldn’t have been the only reason he was here. He and Viktor weren’t friends. And wolves hardly ever subjected themselves to the presence of vampires because of vampire’s smell apparently.

Viktor opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it, glancing over at the person holding the microphone, about to make an announcement. She had cleared her throat into the mic to get everyone’s attention and it worked wonderfully. It was definitely Mari Katsuki holding the mic. Yuuri seemed calm, and Viktor found himself tensing. Was it just a coincidence that Yuuri had come over here before his sister’s announcement? Or was there a reason behind it?

Slowly, she began to speak, “Hello, greetings everyone. My name is Mari Katsuki and I have a few announcements to make on the behalf of my people.” Her eyes scanned the room and anyone could see the exact moment her eyes locked with Yuuri’s. “In three years I will be stepping down and allowing my younger brother, Yuuri, to lead with no guidance from our officials.”

The reaction was defining silence. Yuuri would be eighteen by that point. While for humans, that would be a surprisingly young age to pass the torch to, for supernatural beings, it was appallingly young. Mari was over two hundred years old. She could easily wait for Yuuri to be older. It was unheard of. Yuuri would be the youngest leader the wolves had ever had to lead without supervision. Viktor felt his eyes land on Yuuri and unsurprisingly saw a small confident smile on his face.

Mari wasn’t done though, apparently, “And from this point forward,” She paused, obviously nervous, before pushing forward, “We are declaring war on the vampires.”

There were sounds of glasses shattering as people bolted. A proclamation of war at a banquet immediately made everyone involved fair game. Viktor felt the world around him turn into a background buzz as he locked eyes with Yuuri. He was met with a prideful smirk. Yuuri had planned for this. In utter confidence, he tilted his head back, as though offering his neck. If he had broken eye contact it could be considered a submissive offer, but with their eyes locked it was obviously a challenge.

Viktor felt his blood boil and in the next instant he flung himself at Yuuri, ignoring everything else. It was purely instinctive. Viktor had spent his entire life at the top and to see this child dare him was infuriating. In the back of his mind Viktor knew that this was just an attempt to dare him to kill the younger, but it was war so it didn’t really matter.

If Viktor passed up such an easy opportunity to destroy the wolfs’ future leader, it would be hell. Clearly it was a challenge. What moron would openly announce who their future leader was with said future leader being so young? It was a blatant challenge and Viktor knew he had to go for it.

He had just managed to pin the younger to the ground and was about to rip Yuuri’s throat out when he felt himself being flung back, stunned for a moment as his back slammed against the wall. Yuuri was sitting up with eager excitement bubbling in his eyes before he lunged after Viktor.

They went at it for a few minutes before Yuuri ended up with a knife thrown into his arm. Wolves were known for the pain tolerance and difficulty to actual physical injure. His arm was limp at his side, but even with blood oozing from his wound he didn’t seem all that alarmed. Viktor was about to say something snarky in Russian, like offering the other to quit when the smell hit him.

It was amazing. That he knew instantly. The smell was what heaven must have smelled like. It smelled good, no doubt, but Viktor shoved the thought away as he pulled himself to focus on what the fuck was causing the scent. It was very sweet, not the sweetest he had smelled but definitely high up there. His eyes widened as he realized that it was Katsuki’s blood. Odd, wolf blood normally smells disgusting.

Confusion stirred in him and he was about to confront the injured wolf that was glaring him down, but suddenly he was moving. Yuri was yanking him away, hissing at him in Russian that they had to go, Yakov’s orders. Viktor only got more confused, quickly looking around. The room was a disaster, and there was a miniature battle going on between various wolves and vampires, but everyone else had left by now. Meaning there was no reason to keep fighting other than proving something to the wolf.

-

Viktor was officially the leader of the vampires now. It had been five years since the war began. It had been surprisingly draining for the Russian. You’d think being immortal and being on what was supposed to be the winning side would make the war easy. It definitely wasn’t though.

He had to deal with nearly everything. Yuri could only handle so much on his own. He had to arrange his forces. He had to watch for raids. Make sure the patrols were doing well. Keep everything documented. Make sure people were safe. Count the dead. Plan sweet revenge on the idiots who thought the war was a good idea. Devise ideas for how to outmaneuver the wolves. Keep a level head.

The wolves were easily holding their own, irritatingly enough. Word had even come that Yuuri Katsuki had taken the role of leader. If he hadn’t heard of it from the intelligence though, Viktor wouldn’t have been able to guess.

He loathed Katsuki. It had taken him a bit to figure out why the war had been declared but by now it just seemed tiresome. There had been rumors that the wolves would have been especially weak after the shifts of power. Considering how fast Yuuri had taken the lead, it must have been always intended for him to be his father’s successor. With that in mind, it wasn’t exactly surprising that they had started such a war. It was a challenge to the world. The worst part was, it was working. They had proven that despite their shifts in power and new young leader, that they were just as fearsome as they had always been.

Viktor wondered how much longer the war would last. Katsuki and himself had gone toe to toe numerous times, leading to an undeniable understanding that they wanted each other dead. How long would Katsuki let this war go on for though? Hundreds had died. Viktor pushed the thought away with irritation as he refocused himself on the tedious present.

He was tired. For a creature that didn’t need sleep that would almost be disconcerting, if it wasn’t for the fact that drowsiness was the first sign of low blood levels. Viktor idly made his way through his home until he was in the kitchen, yanking open the fridge, and pulling out a pack of blood. He sighed and plopped down at the table, sipping idly, as he considered his situation.

The only good thing about the war was that it was strengthening everyone’s ties. Vampires were coming from all over the world to aide in the war. Hell, even his good friend Chris was staying at his house at the moment. Yuri was even shaping up faster than Viktor had anticipated. He was becoming level headed and logical. Viktor was so proud of his little student. If it wasn’t for the fact that a bloody war had caused this, it would be nice.

Viktor frowned as he pulled the pack of blood from his mouth. His brain refocusing on the odd situation at hand. The pack was empty, okay he had drunk all of it, whatever. But what was odd, was the fact that he was still tired. That was way more blood then he needed to stop the drowsiness.

He froze. Realization hit him like a truck and he dashed from the room. He checked room after room, frantic to find Chris before succeeding. He threw the door open and launched himself towards the man currently reading calmly on the bed. Chris looked up, not surprised to see his eccentric friend suddenly on his bed, seemingly overjoyed beyond words. Chris waited patiently as Viktor slowly calmed down.

“So, what’s gotten you so excited?” He said calmly, knowing getting excited prematurely was a waste of time. Viktor gets excited when he gets packages in the mail, it was best to wait and see what this was about.

Viktor was speechless for a few moments, flailing his hands in excitement before finding his words and rushing out, “I’m tired Chris! I am genuinely tired and I just had a pint of blood. A whole pint, from the fridge, pure and everything. The good stuff. And I am still so tired I could collapse, if I wasn’t so excited, do you know what this means?!”

Chris stared blankly before realization dawned and he jerked up to attention, freaking out happily with Viktor as well.

In this world, most had soulmates. It was a much simpler thing for humans. For supernatural beings however, it was a little bit more difficult. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as straight forward as a mark or trading places. It would begin slowly. Every now and then an individual would feel an emotion or sense from their soulmate. It took some many years to notice it, though. Once they noticed it, it would become easier and easier to pick up their soulmate’s emotions and senses. The soulmate had some control of what the other felt, but it was limited. With enough practice, or enough emotion, soulmates could actually talk to each other mentally.

Viktor had spent the first thousand years of his life waiting patiently for his soulmate. He had to have one. Surely, someone would love him in such a way at some point, right? Around fifteen hundred years though, he lost hope. He must be one of the few without one. He had waited over a millennium for his soulmate. Surely if they existed, he would have felt them by now, right?

He had spent the last couple centuries screwing around with anyone at any time he felt like. Sure, it would never amount to what he wanted, but it was better than saving yourself for someone that doesn’t exist right?

Not having a soulmate had made Viktor admittedly cynical. Especially since Chris had one. The younger vampire had refused to disclose who his was though. He said that his soulmate was busy at the moment and in a few years they would be free so he could wait. He had been saying that for quite some time though. Viktor couldn’t help but wonder who the mysterious soul was, but he knew Chris was serious when he used that tone about not wanting to say who it was.

Hell, even Yuri seemed to be thinking his soulmate might have been born recently. He got sensitive when the subject was brought up in a way that he hadn’t before. Viktor had been feeling cheated at the fact he apparently was destined to be alone with everyone around him having a soulmate.

But this curl of sleepiness in his heart meant that he, for a fact, had a soulmate. His heart was singing. Until he remembered the number of people he had slept with the past couple centuries. His soulmate was young, that was the only explanation for only feeling them now, what would they think? Would they hate him? Wish they had a different soulmate?

Viktor pushed the thought away. He would find out when he met them. Until then, he wouldn’t give up.

-

It had been a long two years since he had first felt his soulmate. The war was still raging. Katsuki had shown no signs of giving up anytime soon. It was irritating to say the least. But there had been some good parts. Viktor had gotten quite good, if he did say so himself, with communicating with his soulmate and sensing some of the things that happened to them.

He had tried speaking to them a few times, to no avail. He did treasure what he had picked up from them, still unsure how much they felt from him. They smelled heavenly, when he managed to catch ahold of their sense of smell at a good time. His soulmate was apparently an obsessive cleaner, judging from how frequently Viktor could only smell heavy scents of soap from them. He rarely checked their sense of smell. He hadn’t figured out how to get sight, but sound was easy at this point. His soulmate apparently spent a lot of time in the woods. Touch was also easy too, his soulmate seemed to wear too many clothes, judging by how uncomfortable they were all the time. That and they must love dogs. While that was fine and all, Viktor loved poodles himself, it was still ironic to the vampire considering how he felt about werewolves.

The distressing thing though, was his soulmate’s emotions. Those were painful. They were often filled with pain, heartbreak, and fear. All Viktor wanted to do was find what was hurting his precious soulmate and force it to stop. He would protect the other with his life. All he had to do was find them. The occasional self-loathing was constantly urging Viktor to keep searching for them. But until he could talk to the other, it was more or less futile.

Viktor sighed, rolling over and sitting up, grabbing his mug of warm blood. He had stopped feeding directly, feeling uncomfortable with such an intimate action now that he knew he had a soulmate, but still enjoyed the warm kind over the cool. He had been lounging in bed, lost with his own thoughts and trying to reach out to his soulmate, coming up mostly empty handed.

He was sloshing around a mouthful before swallowing it and sighing happily, pleased with the taste. He felt himself relaxing before a screech in his mind made him freeze.

_“You’re a vampire?!?!?!!?!? FUCK!!!!”_ The voice yelled in utter horror. Viktor froze, startled enough that he nearly chucked his mug as he slowly processed the voice. It had to have been his soulmate, there was no reason any form of mental condition would result in a voice freaking out about him being a vampire.

“Um, yes?” He said aloud, confused before alarm sunk in, realizing his soulmate could very well be human and be scared half to death, feeling blood go down Viktor’s throat. Viktor waited a few minutes and was about to give up trying to mentally prod his soulmate when he got a reply.

“ _Jesus Christ, I was not expecting that. I-I think I need some time.”_ His soulmate cut off connection at that and he couldn’t do anything. He knew it would be best to give them some time. It was nerve racking, sure, but he’d do it for his soulmate.

-

It had been two months since the vampire reveal incident, as Viktor mentally referred to it, and he was getting panicky. Did they forget? Were they disgusted? Did they hate him? Could they not figure out how to get a hold of him without panic helping them? Viktor couldn’t exactly do things constantly to get his soulmate to panic enough to talk to him, assuming they even wanted to.

He was sliding into a state of despair and everyone felt it. Yuri was pissed-off because of it. Chris pitied him and offered weak comfort. Viktor ended up spending way too much time with Chris. It was nice being with someone who he knew wouldn’t want anything more from him. Chris was reading when Viktor was broken from his thoughts by a timid voice.

“ _You… aren’t near Russia, are you?”_ Russia? Well, duh he was in Russia. He was Russian. Wait, if his soulmate was concerned about his location, then they must know about the war vampires in the area were engaged in with the wolves. Viktor smiled at his soulmate’s concern, as if Viktor’s life was in danger.

Softly, Viktor responded, “Yes I am, I’m actually in Russia. I live here.” Chris rose his eyebrows, realization dawning on his face at Viktor’s mumbled words.

Viktor’s soulmate was silent for a while, considering the information before replying, panic evident in their tone, “ _I have to end the war then. I don’t want you to die. I couldn’t bare the guilt.”_

Viktor sat up straight and quickly replied back, in utter shock, “How could you do that? Even I can’t fathom how to end this war.” His soulmate seemed to be confident in the fact they could end it, more hung up on Viktor’s fate then the task.

His soulmate seemed slightly distracted, not focused on Viktor anymore, as if they had suddenly become busy. _“I have connections. Just… please stay safe until this is over. I have to go. Be careful, for my sake, please.”_ His soulmate was pretty damn good at cutting the line at this point, Viktor bitterly commented, laying down, trying to process the new information.

-

Two weeks later, Viktor received a letter from Katsuki, asking to meet to discuss terms of peace, saying that it was time to end the war. Viktor couldn’t tell if this was a coincidence or not, but something in his gut told him that his soulmate definitely had a lot to do with this.


	2. What's a 'heat'?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight heads up, this chapter does get into alpha/beta/omega things, its not focused on anything sexual but it is there. Read if you want to know what I mean.

Viktor sighed as he stepped out of the taxi. He had brought Yuri with him to the discussion of the treaty. The place that had been chosen for the meeting was some kind of small dinner. At first Viktor had been hesitant, but when he approached he understood.

Katsuki had chosen the place, stating that it was quiet enough that it would offer them privacy, but not so tucked away that their presence would be noticeable. After all, with these meetings, there was only the leaders and their right hands there. There would be plenty of guards, a block away. It was a form of insurance so a fake treaty meeting wouldn’t be made just for an ambush attempt. The issue was, it left the leaders vulnerable to unaffiliated parties, sending their own assassins.

Regardless though, Viktor calmly entered the dinner, Yuri irritably following him. They were dressed in casual clothing, to blend in with the humans more. Yuri dressed in a tacky looking black and leopard print jacket with black skinny jeans. Viktor himself was dressed in a stylish jacket and dark dress slacks, a simple white dress shirt and a tie hidden beneath the jacket. They looked normal.

Viktor scanned the dinner, spotting the familiar head of dark hair and walking over, Yuri grumbling but following behind him. Viktor stopped as he got closer to the table. Katsuki’s back was to him and he had someone in front of him babbling away. Must be his right hand, considering Viktor had never seen someone so relaxed in front of the young Japanese man before. Katsuki seemed to have all of his acquaintances serious when he was with them.

The apparent right hand looked very, very young. Just as young as Yuri appeared if not younger. Figures Katsuki would choose someone so close to his age. Predictable. The young teen across from Katsuki seemed to be ecstatic though. He had messy blond hair on his head with a streak of red. He was animatedly talking and waking wide gestures.

Viktor was about to say something when Yuri marched past him towards the table, frustrated with Viktor’s lack of movement when the people they were supposed to meet so close. Viktor followed in idle amusement as Yuri marched up to the table and slammed his hand down on it. “ _This is a fucking peace meeting, not a field trip, shut the fuck up!”_ He hissed in Russian at the blond. The boy stared up at Yuri with wide eyes, stunned into silence. It also might have something to do with the boy probably didn’t know Russian.

Viktor moved to stand behind Yuri and was about to break the awkward silence that was building before Katsuki beat him to it. He scooted over and the blond boy bolted to his mentor’s side, nearly clutching at him once he was seated. Yuri growled in his throat, but sat down across the wolves and Viktor sat down next to his student. He let his eyes look over the pair before him.

The boy looked familiar. He must have seen him in a battle recently. Katsuki was much more interesting though, so he didn’t pay much mind to the kid. The man had to nearly be twenty-three by now. He looked like the years had been exhausting for him. It had been nearly a year since Viktor saw the other in a battle. Yuri had though. Speaking of which he felt a chuckle bubble in his throat. Marring, the otherwise perfect skin, was a new white scar over Katsuki’s cheekbone that Viktor had yet to see. Yuri had done it, and Viktor had never felt prouder.

Katsuki frowned, taking a calming sip of his coffee. “You are aware even white scars heal with time for wolves, right?” He said coldly.

Yuri rolled his eyes in response, he didn’t take the other very seriously, and constantly made sure it was known, “Still looks hilarious in the meantime though.” He said, smirking confidently. Whenever he saw the scar he couldn’t help but feeling like gloating. Viktor chuckled in agreement. Normally, he’d be cautious with Katsuki, due to his unpredictability. But the letters they exchanged over the treaty made it evident that he wanted to end the war and a few teasing remarks wasn’t going to change that.

That and the fact that he was just relieved the other wasn’t actively trying to kill him. God the guy had a lot of stamina for a wolf. Who even had the energy to make so many attempts on another’s life?

The blond boy next to Katsuki was frowning and spoke, with irritation, “Why are you chuckling, Nikiforov? You’ve never managed to make a mark on Yuuri-san.” His brown eyes shinned with determination, knowing he was hitting a nerve. Katsuki smiled to himself, most likely in pride.

Yuri, the traitor, though snorted. “He’s got a point Viktor.” Damn that punk, he always loved getting a shot at Viktor, regardless of the situation. Viktor could tell Yuri was going to continue so he cut him off before a word left his mouth.

“Enough of the banter, let’s get this over with. First though, does your lackey have a death wish, Katsuki?” Viktor bit out, Katsuki was normally a stickler for rules so it was surprising that he was letting one of his wolves address Viktor so casually. Viktor was too on edge for this. He wanted to rip the kids throat out. Taking a few breaths, he forced himself calm. He was anxious, he couldn’t help it. He was intending to wrangle information about the sudden change of heart from Katsuki, so he had to keep it together.

Katsuki took a leisurely sip of his coffee again, speaking with a bored tone. “His name is Minami Kenjirou. He is my student. Not a lackey.” Katsuki said firmly, flicking his eyes up and meeting Viktor’s stare. “Regardless, all we need is for the paper’s to be signed and we’re all set.” He said, pulling out some documents from his messenger bag next to him and handing them over.

Yuri took the documents and started reading through them. He could read English faster than Viktor and he knew that his mentor wanted to get some answers out of Katsuki so he sat back and did as Viktor had told him to previously.

“Just what lead to this change of heart, Katsuki? I never took you as one to give up so easily.” Viktor teased gently, trying to get to the important things as fast as possible. If Katsuki would tell him anything about why he ended the war, such as if someone had persuaded him, Viktor could try to find his soulmate with the information. He knew it was too much of a coincidence for it to be unimportant.

Katsuki frowned and seemed to debate how he wanted to answer, finally he spoke, “I figured that everyone knew by now that I could match anyone, if not win. What was the point after that?” Viktor glared, arrogant asshole. Just because everyone knew that was Katsuki’s motivation behind the war, didn’t make it any more tolerable. People had died.

Viktor was about to say so when Yuri handed over the documents, “They all say what they’re supposed to.” He said flatly, a little irritated that he had to read the documents just because Viktor’s English reading skills were lacking. Viktor sighed and took out a pen, signing below Katsuki’s already signed name. There. Done.

Katsuki took the documents and tucked them away, getting Minami to stand and doing so himself as well. “We have no further business here. Goodbye Viktor, Yuri.” He said before turning to leave. Viktor could do nothing but puff in irritation. What a waste of time.

In all honesty, it was more than he normally got from Katsuki. Over the years he had come to the conclusion that Katsuki loathed him with every fiber of his body and hated even breathing the same air as him. Viktor couldn’t help but wonder what really made the other put an end to the war. Who had him wrapped around their finger enough to get this to happen?

-

Minami hummed happily as he strolled with Yuuri towards home. “Well that was nice.” He said, a spring in his step. He loved going places with his mentor. Despite the fact that the two they had met with had tried to kill both him and Yuuri numerous times. It would normally upset the blond, to be so close to the two but he couldn’t help but be happy the war was over. Peace was good. Less funerals and more birthdays. It had technically been a week since the meeting, but Minami had waited until they were back in their territory to bring it up. They were currently strolling through a park a few blocks from Yuuri’s house.

Yuuri seemed less then enthused, though, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. This wasn’t unusual but something felt different than normal. Minami was Yuuri’s closest friend that was also a wolf. Yuuri had another friend, Phichit something or other. He was some kind of water spirit but he had never met the man. Minami prided himself on knowing everything about Yuuri. From his fears, to his secrets, to his favorite foods.

When they had first met, Minami was just an eager child, excited to have met the wolf prince, as many had called Yuuri when he was younger. Minami had heard the stories of their young prince and felt pain and sympathy for the other. He wondered how the older boy handled things. Yuuri had so few people left, who had stepped up to help him? So when Minami met Yuuri at a festival on accident, he was ecstatic. Since then he had trained to become the best friend the older boy could ask for.

It had taken some time, but now the two were borderline conjoined at the hip. Hell, there were even rumors that they were soulmates. Minami thought that was silly though, him and Yuuri? While that would be heaven, he more of felt admiration for the older wolf. Nothing romantic, despite how nice it would be to have an excuse to cling to Yuuri.

As a member of the royal bloodline, Yuuri’s scent was flat out intoxicating. It was like sedatives for most. Not to mention when Yuuri became the leader it only intensified. Minami could die happy with Yuuri’s smell comforting him. Minami knew it was stupid, but what could he say? His leader’s presence comforted him.

Well, that was when he wasn’t soaked in powerful soap smells. Yuuri had started nearly constantly dowsing himself with scent erasers. At first Minami didn’t comment, it had started around two years ago, but after a few months and Yuuri’s apparent anxiety Minami stepped in.

It was kind of funny, the fact that half the world, if not more, feared Yuuri. He did have a terrifying outside shell. But, as he explained once when drunk to Minami, he mainly did that so no one would think he was weak. Yuuri loathed pity and said he’d rather claw out his own throat before feel someone pity him again. Yuuri had vaguely indicated it had something to do with how he was treated after his parent’s deaths.

Regardless, Minami had no fear for the older man and ended up cornering his teacher.

~

_“So, is there, like, a reason for the fifty scent erasers you wear now?” Minami said one morning when they were stretching for practice, just the two of them. It wasn’t uncommon for Yuuri to train just him every now and then. Minami considered it private lessons, Yuuri insisted it was just so he could have a lazy day. Minami had laughed when his mentor and friend said that, knowing it was a complete lie._

_Yuuri froze, mid-stretch, shooting Minami a look, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said flatly, continuing his stretching. Just as Yuuri switched positions, Minami was at his side, clutching the elder’s hand._

_“You can tell me anything Yuuri, I’m just worried about you.” He said in earnest concern. Dropping the honorifics was something the teen rarely did, unless it was of the upmost importance and Yuuri and himself were alone._

_Yuuri seemed to freeze and consider the thought, debating mentally about whether to explain. Minami’s concern was justified. There were many illnesses that became first apparent through one’s scent. It would make sense for the younger to be concerned. Many hid illnesses by suddenly switching to the powerful soaps to help hide the symptoms. Sighing, Yuuri came out of his stretch and plopped on his back._

_“You can’t tell anyone.”_

_“Got it.”_

_“If you do, I will cast you out. No one can know.” This made Minami’s heart catch in his chest. What could be so horrible to cast Minami out? Sure, being pissed over a secret getting out was understandable, but to take it so far? They were best friends, for fucks sake. Minami shook his head, to clear his mind of the thoughts. If it was so important and secret, it just meant he had to know all the more. Secrets were painful to keep on your own._

_“I understand.” He said, forcing himself calm, knowing Yuuri could probably sense his emotions easily._

_Yuuri took a slow calming breath, trying to gather himself properly. He was tense. If Minami didn’t know any better he’d almost think Yuuri was afraid. What Yuuri said next froze Minami’s heart. “I… I presented as an omega.” He took a shaky breath, before rushing on, unable to stop the truth from coming out. “I’ve been so tense and stressed for so long that I guess my body was waiting, like how heats get delayed sometimes because of stress. I nearly puked when I noticed it in my scent. Thank fucking god I noticed when I did. I think me flipping out delayed my heat. It’s why I’ve been hiding my scent. No one can know. Please. Don’t tell anyone.”_

_Minami stared, horrified as his best friend broke down into hysterics. Carefully, he pulled the other into his arms as Yuuri devolved into a full blown panic attack, something Minami knew the older had been prone to since he was a child. “I’m so scared. I have to be the leader; I can’t do anything else. There is no one else to do it instead. What will everyone think?” He hiccupped a sob and looked timidly up at Minami, “Do you know what the text books say about a delay in presenting or a delay in heat?” If he had wanted an answer, he should have paused more as he rushed on, “They say it can cause illness or injury. God, I can’t die like this, but I just can’t get myself to relax.”_

_~_

After that Minami aided Yuuri in his research about the medical side effects. It had resulted in a lot of frequent reminders to Yuuri that actual illness caused by such a thing was rare. Like toxic shock syndrome. Sometimes Yuuri still got concerned over it. He still hadn’t had his first heat. If, when they were on a short vacation, Yuuri hadn’t let Minami smell him without his normal scent erasing soap, Minami would dare to say Yuuri wasn’t an omega. But, nope. Yuuri, without soap, reeked of omega.

Yuuri was so paranoid about it that he dragged Minami everywhere with him, and refused to let the younger hide his scent. Minami had presented as a beta shortly before Yuuri had apparently presented. Apparently, Minami’s body had no quarrels about presenting during a war time. With the scent of a new beta always on him, Yuuri’s own lack of scent was rarely noticed.

Only one person, a child, had ever dared to comment on Yuuri’s scent, or lack thereof. The child quickly back-tracked, remembering who they were speaking to. But it knocked Yuuri’s nerves back a couple months of progress.

Minami feared vaguely about the social stigma regarding omegas. They had the easiest time producing healthy pups. They smelled heavenly to nearly every wolf, and gave everyone a sense of comfort. The issue was, some still regarded them lowly, as biologically, omega’s were best at having children biologically and historically weren’t allowed to do much else.

Yuuri’s father, after meeting Yuuri’s mother, had pushed reform on the treatment of omegas, seeing how his new wife was being treated. It had done wonders too. But Minami still would occasionally hear sexist comments regarding omega’s. It would be controversial if Yuuri came out as one without his soulmate there to guarantee he could produce an heir.

Ugh, soulmates were another sore topic for the moody wolf leader. According to the vague hints Yuuri dropped on occasion about it, Yuuri definitely had one. He kept things vague though. Which was irritating to no end. When wolves presented as their secondary sex- alpha, beta, or omega- their connection with their soulmate was officially formed and they could begin to pick up the other’s emotions. This was basically so they wouldn’t get into a serious relationship before they were ready emotionally and physically for the possibility of it getting intense fast. It was a nice safety mechanism.

Minami understood Yuuri’s anguish though. If his soulmate wasn’t a wolf, there was no guarantee the pair could have a child. It was a necessity for the leader to have a biological heir. Yes, Minami was there for a possible candidate if Yuuri didn’t have one, but it was mainly in case something happened before Yuuri had a child. With the both of them being so young, no one was overly concerned about rushing things.

The people were confident their leader would do his duties diligently. There was a slight issue though. Leader’s needed to have a legitimate heir, but no one could be asked to mate with anyone aside from their soulmate. Of course, it would only be asking, no one would force anyone anymore, but to do so for anyone aside from the other’s soulmate had always been considered the most inhumane thing to possibly do.

Minami worried about what would happen if Yuuri’s soulmate wasn’t someone he could have a child with. That was not important at the moment though. What was important was he just remembered that he forgot to tear the Russian Yuri apart for damaging his mentor’s skin, regardless of how temporary the scar was. He started to voice his distress to Yuuri as they walked. He animatedly rambled on about the situation, pleased with himself for making Yuuri chuckle at his antics. He loved the man’s laugh. It brought him pride that he could cause it.

He was yanked out of his musings though when he glanced back at Yuuri, after a few minutes of no response. He didn’t even have a chance to think, the man was mid fall. In a blink, Minami had caught him. Yuuris breathing was labored and his face flushed. Minami took a deep breath through his mouth to stop himself from panicking. He had to be level headed, Yuuri needed him.

Werewolves were prone to few illnesses, but with Yuuri’s scent erasers anything would have been hard to notice. Minami ‘s mind flashed to the Yuuri’s odd mood earlier and just a split second before he could properly start panicking, Yuuri reached up and yanked the teen closer, erasing all other thoughts from Minami’s mind.

“Get me to the house… I think my heat started. Please, I need you to keep me safe.” Minami took a sharp breath and tensed, he could smell it on the other man, he definitely was starting his heat. Minami swallowed deeply, focusing on the task that he had been assigned, and pushed through all other thoughts.

-

Yuuri sighed, exhausted as he laid in his bed. Thank the heavens he had been with Minami. He was in between waves of heat haze, giving him a few blessed moments of clarity. He could tell Minami was on the other side of his bedroom door. All of his servants dismissed for a month long vacation to supposedly celebrate the end of the war. It was a nice cover to make sure no one found out, Yuuri had to admit. Minami was so smart.

The teen had stayed with him, tensely sitting on the other side of the door. Yuuri had assured Minami that he didn’t have to stay, after all Yuuri had read that omega’s scents could be tempting while in heat, even to betas. Not to mention he wasn’t entirely sure he could even control his own actions. Honestly, Yuuri was terrified to the core. He barely remembered anything that happened during waves of his heat.

He allowed his body to relax into the mattress though. He was exhausted but the draining effect this was having on his body was tempting him to sleep, despite not really needing it. He had only been awake for a few hours, or at least he thought so? Everything blurred together. Last he asked Minami it had been three days. Since it was his first heat, he could expect it to end soon.

Not soon enough in his opinion, but fuck it. He felt his eyes grow heavy and just as he slid them shut he heard a familiar voice in his head, _“Um… are you alright?”_

Yuuri chuckled, his poor confused soulmate. He was so exhausted that he didn’t think as he conversed, mind trying to debate whether staying up to talk to his soulmate was worth it. He hadn’t heard from the other since he had decided to put an end to the war. So, he did want to talk to them, but he didn’t know if now was the time. “Yeah, just… really exhausted.” He said lamely.

His soulmate must be checking his senses again because they were silent for a while before they responded, _“I don’t want to sound clingy or rude… but I really want to know… did you just… have sex? I can feel where you’re sore… and you’re really exhausted in a … postorgasmway… but like I kept checking on your emotions the past couple days and you seemed to be feeling similar things a lot… so I’m really worried. Is anyone hurting you?”_ His soulmate sounded so nervous and uncomfortable, it shook Yuuri more awake, empathetic concern sweeping through him. A gentle touch of the other’s emotions confirmed that they were panicked. Yuuri couldn’t blame them, he would lose his mind if he was in their shoes.

He thought for a moment, trying to figure out why he was sore where he was before a memory flashed through his mind and blush spread across his face. He would have to invest in something better suited for _that_ before his next heat. He shook his head from his thoughts and responded. He knew that normal people didn’t feel like this for such an extended period of time so he owed the other an explanation, even if, when he was in his right mind he would never give away this much information, “No, no I didn’t. I um… well I’m kind of… In the middle of my first heat?” He said timidly, wondering how his soulmate would respond to the fact he was a werewolf. And an omega at that. Before he could get too embarrassed though, he got a reply.

 _“What’s a heat?”_ Yuuri was stunned. The fuck? His soulmate didn’t know what a heat was? He was about to explain when he felt another haze started coming to him, something was oddly arousing about thinking of his soulmate, with this many hormones coursing through him.

Yuuri let his mind wander for a second. It went nowhere appropriate and he let out a gentle moan, imagining his soulmate tangled up in bed with him. Before he could devolve mentally any farther, he broke the connection, he would give his soulmate a sex ed lesson when he felt better. As he let the haze take over, he idly realized that he might actually get genuinely sick after this, since his body was already feeling so weak.

-

It had been a week with no further contact to his soulmate. Viktor was currently pacing around his home, what on earth was a ‘heat’? And how did that relate to his soulmate being so aroused constantly? He had googled it and searched to the best of his ability. The only things he had come up with was that his soulmate was either physically hot, in a race of some sort, or some form of animal ready to reproduce??? It made no sense to the vampire. He had no idea what the hell the other was referring to. Somewhere in the back of his mind it sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place where. Damn his memory.

He was just about to give up when realization hit him. Yuri had spent a few decades traveling the world, maybe he knew! Viktor wasted no time making his way to Yuri’s room in his house and burst inside, not bothering to knock. Said Russian was lounging on his bed, messing with his phone with his cat as his pillow. He glanced up, irritated at Viktor, “What the fuck do you want? It’s my day off.”

Ignoring the teen he plopped down on the end of the bed, waiting patiently for Yuri to pull himself into a seated position, giving Viktor a glare that would freeze many in their tracks. It had no effect on the older vampire though. Viktor waited until he was sure that he had the other’s undivided attention before speaking, “Yuri, I need to know if you know what this word I heard was, it was used in an unusual way and I want to…” Should he lie? Yes? No? “see if you know what its referring to?” He asked, not intending it to sound like a question but it clearly was.

Yuri rolled his eyes, his teacher was fucking weird so this wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. After no apparent objection to being asked Viktor spoke, “What’s a heat? In the context of being in the middle of one. Not the sport kind.” He asked, cocking his head to the side innocently.

Yuri choked on the air, horrified at what his teacher just asked him. The old man was over 2000, where did he get off asking Yuri such a question? Viktor only got more confused as Yuri tried to breathe, which was ironic. Yuri didn’t need to breathe, but it was instinctive to so it made it difficult to do much when he wasn’t breathing. Finally, he spoke, “Don’t you know?”

Viktor frowned, tilting his head even more, “Am I supposed to?” He was confused. Yes, he had anticipated Yuri knowing what on earth a heat was, but this wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting. Viktor waited for Yuri to gather himself, running his hand down his face and grumbling something about what he did to deserve this before turning to look at Viktor, bracing himself.

“Yes you are, it has to do with werewolves, or rather things related to dogs, do you really want to know?” Yuri was praying to the heavens that the other would say no he didn’t, but Yuri doubted that to the extreme. Viktor wasn’t exactly one to drop a topic until he was satisfied. Hopefully, the wolf part would deter him enough.

Viktor frowned, considering it. It had to do with werewolves? Or dogs? He was sure his soulmate wasn’t an actual animal. So werewolf. Maybe he was misunderstanding. Surely his beloved soulmate wasn’t a werewolf. That would just be ludicrous. He pushed the thought away and nodded, knowing that if he didn’t find out it would just itch at the back of his mind until he figured out what a heat was on his own.

Yuri looked horrified by his mentor’s response, but gathered himself again anyway. He’d rather be the one to explain this to Viktor and save everyone the embarrassment that their leader had no fucking clue what a heat was. “I warned you.” He breathed out, bracing himself one last time before carefully explaining. “For the sake of argument, we’re going to focus on werewolves, if you want to know about anything else go read a fucking book, weirdo. But since there are none on wolves, I guess I can tell you.” A pause, was he really giving the werewolf sex talk to a 2000-year-old man? Yes. Yes, he was. “Werewolves have a secondary gender. They can be born male or female like most, but their secondary sex only presents itself around puberty. It normally starts off with their scents changing, sometimes its accompanied with other things, but I don’t know all the details. Apparently, it can happen at any point between the start of their puberty to the end. Most ‘present’ as they call it early on while going through puberty.” Yuri couldn’t believe he was doing this.

Viktor sat with rapt attention, eyes uncharacteristically serious, he seemed to be trying to absorb every word. Yuri was surprised that Viktor ended up prompting him to continue, “Keep going, I want to know.”

Yuri ran a hand through his hair and continued. “There are three secondary sexes: alpha, beta, and omega.” Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, Yuri guessed he recognized the terms, they were used pretty frequently among wolves. “Alpha’s are considered the strongest, and that they are natural leaders. They are, genetically speaking, the best fathers for children. Their genes are supposed to be stronger than most, and statistically most end up having strong, healthy children. Betas are an in between alpha and omega. They tend to be the most liked. Alpha’s can be domineering, and omega’s are seen as weak, so betas are like a happy medium. Betas are the most common currently. Generations ago they were uncommon, but now that most wolf couples don’t care about the stereotypical alpha omega pair, betas became more common. Omegas are the rarest, presently. They apparently get pregnant easiest, and have a lot of motherly tendencies, according to stereotypes.”

Viktor’s face was crinkled in confusion, “If there are secondary sexes, then how do you know who can and can’t get pregnant? Like a female alpha and a male omega? You said mother and father, as though they can only do one.”

Yuri felt his face burning with heat, he had hoped Viktor would have been too grossed out by this point to ask anymore. Why did Yuri have to read that damned wolf book so many years ago? Oh yeah, it was a gift, and the man he had gotten it from said it might help in planning a strategy against the wolves. Slowly, he pushed himself to continue speaking, trying not to wonder why the fuck Viktor suddenly cared. “Well, technically all female wolves can get pregnant as can all omega wolves. I don’t actually know how they pull it off, I haven’t exactly… you know, been intimate with one. They don’t really talk about it.” He said, looking away, feeling utterly humiliated talking about his sex life with Viktor. He was honestly surprised that Viktor didn’t know this stuff already. Sure the guy hated wolves presently, but had he hated them the entire 2000 some years he had been alive? To the point of never being with one? He knew his mentor had plenty of sex in the past.

Viktor nodded, accepting the fact that Yuri’s knowledge was limited before the reason he had inquired returned to his mind, “What do heats have to do with all this though?”

Yuri rolled his eyes, wishing his mentor would just go away with his stupid questions and ask someone else, this was starting to become too revolting for the younger vampire to stomach. “Heats are something omega’s go through. It’s like, a week of their body flipping out and trying to get them pregnant. Alpha’s have ruts, and apparently they can be triggered by omega’s heats. Again, not sure on the details.”

Yuri glanced around, trying to ease the conversation away from sex, focusing on other, semi-relevant, information. “Wolves apparently take the secondary sex thing pretty seriously, not as much as they used to but still. Most wolf leaders have been alphas apparently, and wolves apparently can still be kind of sexist, about the secondary sexes.” Yuri said, his mind drifting to a few decades ago when he was at a bar and saw some wolves getting into a fight. He hadn’t caught much, he just hadn’t given a fuck, but from what he heard being compared to an omega was apparently quite the insult.

Viktor frowned, thinking the information over. He sat there, staring at the bed sheets for a few moments, lost in thought. Yuri was just about to knock the other off the bed and tell him to get lost when Viktor looked up at Yuri seriously, “Send a letter, we’re going to see Katsuki.”

-

Viktor was, admittedly, nervous. His plan sucked, and he knew it did, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. His soulmate was an omega wolf. Okay, he could handle that. From what he had learned since his conversation with Yuri, that meant his soulmate was most likely female, which was disappointing, but Viktor knew he’d love them all the same. He had to see this through. He had to find them, even if it was just briefly, he wanted his soulmate to know that he was there for them. Part of him debated waiting, but he just couldn’t bring himself to.

He knew how his soulmate had been feeling recently, or rather, how they had been feeling before their heat. The connection had been silent since then. He wanted them to know that they had someone there for them, even if he was a vampire. They had felt so lonely for so long, Viktor had to help.

Which is how Viktor found himself contacting the man he had just signed a treaty with a few weeks ago. While the two groups weren’t at war anymore, Viktor knew that he would have to tread carefully. He wouldn’t be attacked on sight since the war was over, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be stopped and brought to Katsuki for suspicious activity such as lurking around without permission. Which is how Viktor ended up on his current plan.

He knew wolves relied on hierarchy for most things, so he had to keep that in mind in his attempts to find his soulmate. He needed Katsuki’s permission to look for his soulmate in the other’s territory, at the very least. Viktor had reached that conclusion quickly. When he told Yuri his plan, ignoring his student’s gagging and comments about how Viktor should give up on his plan for at least a decade, Yuri pointed out that there was no way in hell that Katsuki would let Viktor roam around his territory unsupervised to find his soulmate. Especially if said soulmate was one of his wolves. Nor would he vouch for Viktor to look in other wolf territories, everything considered.

Viktor had to admit, Yuri did have a point. He mused over the problem for a few days before he realized the perfect solution, albeit it sounded like bullshit, but maybe Katsuki wouldn’t notice. Viktor would say that he was looking for a ‘friend’ of his’s soulmate. That his ‘friend’ was too low ranking in their species to ever be able to get permission to search in wolf territory for their soulmate. So Viktor’s ‘friend’ had asked Viktor to look for them, giving Viktor plenty of details and informing the vampire that they would send letters with any new information regarding their soulmate.

It made enough sense that it wasn’t an immediately obvious lie. Such a thing could happen, if Viktor actually had any friends looking for their soulmate, but Katsuki didn’t know that and Viktor was going to keep it that way.

This was how Viktor and Yuri had ended up on Katsuki’s front steps. They had sent word ahead of time, so they received no trouble aside from the occasional glares on their way to the house from the border their territories shared. As far as Katsuki knew, it was just a meeting to discuss something important. Viktor was intending to talk him, somehow, into letting him and Yuri look for his ‘friend’s’ soulmate. Their things were back at a nearby hotel, for safe keeping until they found out whether or not they would be allowed to stay, or rather if they would have to sneak around to look.

Yuri knew that, no matter what he said, Viktor wouldn’t back down from this. The man was damned and determined for some reason. He never pegged the older for such a romantic to drop everything and risk so much in hopes of finding a wolf soulmate. It’s not like Yuri could leave Viktor by himself, though. What if he was attacked? Yuri would be at fault for not protecting his mentor, it was pretty much his job after all.

Carefully, Viktor lifted his hand and knocked on the door. It was a large house, if not a small mansion. It was much smaller than where Viktor lived, but wolves rarely housed guests in their own homes or had parties, so it made sense for the house to be smaller. Viktor expected the door to be opened nearly immediately, wolves did employ people to help keep their house up so they wouldn’t have to waste time, surely Katsuki would be the same.

Even though Viktor and Yuri were outside they could still hear loud clattering and yelling in Japanese. Viktor was about to try to open the door, alarmed that maybe something bad was going on inside, when the door was yanked open. In the doorway stood a disheveled Minami, if Viktor recalled, panting and out of breath. His hair was even messier than before and he had a cleaning mask and an apron on. His apron looked pretty wet. Viktor frowned, staring at the other. Was Katsuki so short staffed he had his right hand cleaning? Now of all times? Viktor was about to question it verbally when the unmistakable voice of Katsuki yelled from inside the house.

Viktor couldn’t understand what was said since it was in Japanese but it must have been a question because Minami turned back and yelled something in Japanese, of course, in reply. Viktor could hear his and Yuri’s names though so it must have been about them. Yuri looked irritated and was probably about to insult the young wolf until Minami stepped aside to allow them to come in.

-

Ten minutes later, Viktor found himself in Katsuki’s office, explaining the situation his ‘friend’ was in with Yuri at his side. Viktor admittedly glossed over how his ‘friend’ knew their soulmate was a wolf. Regardless, Katsuki looked unamused throughout Viktor’s explanation, waiting until the vampire got to the point. When Viktor finally asked whether or not Yuri and himself could stay to look for his ‘friend’s’ soulmate, Katsuki had already schooled his expression into an unreadable mask.

Yuri sat in the chair next to Viktor and couldn’t look any less interested, but Viktor knew the younger was almost as tense as he was. Viktor had said even if they don’t get permission they were staying to Yuri before they came. Yuri had to be prepared for anything Viktor got them into.

Minami was behind Katsuki, leaning against the wall, watching his mentor carefully. For once, he wasn’t sure how Yuuri would react. On one hand, Viktor came at literally the worst time possible. They had been scrubbing the house free of the scents of Yuuri’s heat before the staff got back when the vampire pair showed up. So he was irritable. And it was Viktor asking, making it even worse. Minami didn’t bother pointing out that if Viktor’s friend had just come themselves, they probably would have had a better chance of getting permission, vampire or otherwise. Another thing that had Minami concerned was that, judging from Yuuri’s body language and what he could pick up from the man’s emotions, Minami was confident that Yuuri thought Viktor was lying about something. God vampires are idiots; this was _not_ the time to lie.

Yuuri was conflicted. He knew how important soulmates were, especially considered how his family handled them. But it wasn’t the time to get sentimental. There was a situation he had to handle objectively. He had a strong feeling in his gut that Viktor was lying to him about something or other but he wasn’t sure about what exactly. Should he really let a lying vampire, Viktor no less, into his territory to look for someone’s soulmate? The answer was probably no.

Unfortunately, his emotions were getting in the way of things. If he took everything Viktor said at face value, since he could change his decision if it came to light that Viktor was lying, then giving permission wasn’t such a bad idea. It wasn’t Viktor’s friend’s fault that he wasn’t a wolf and a war had just ended so no outsiders could casually come in. It wasn’t this person’s fault that he had made the worst choice humanly possible for someone to ask to look for them. It wasn’t Yuuri’s pack member’s fault that their soulmate was someone outside of the pack. There was no one really at fault. If Yuuri refused, he knew he would be directly interfering with soulmates finding each other.

Yuuri was still teetering on which was he should decide when a morbid thought slipped into his mind. Wolves had short lives compared to other supernatural creatures. His pack mate was probably younger than their soulmate. Who was Yuuri to delay someone from finding true happiness during their short life?

It seemed he had reasoned his decision out. Carefully, Yuuri gathered himself, and found himself speaking slowly, “I do believe you are lying about something,” Viktor looked startled, Yuuri must have been right on the money, “Regardless though, I have no intention of standing between two people meant to be together. Soulmates are something I pray you are not using as an excuse to get access to my territory.” The look he gave Viktor meant that if that was the case, there would be hell to pay. “I don’t trust you though, I can’t exactly let two people who have tried to kill me more times than years I’ve been alive roam around freely.”

He paused and Viktor started to fidget, this didn’t seem to be going smoothly, Katsuki continued though, “I can’t exactly ask anyone to babysit you in your travels either though.” The man ran a hand through his hair, sighing, seeming at odds with himself, “So I will make you a deal. If you can manage to prove that you aren’t the scum of the earth for two months by staying here and behaving, then I’ll find the person you’re looking for. I won’t let any pack member of mine to be in danger because I was callous. You could be dangerous and have ill intentions in mind for them. So if you can prove yourself, I’ll try to trust you. At the end of the two months, I’ll tell you who your friend’s soulmate is or continue to look until I find them. How’s that sound?”

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, he had no idea how Katsuki planned to find his soulmate, but the confidence in Katsuki’s voice reassured him that at the very least Katsuki definitely believed he could. It was probably the best offer Viktor was going to get. “Deal.” Viktor said resolutely, determination filling every fiber of his being. This was just another step closer to finding his beloved soulmate. That alone was amazing, even if it meant working with Katsuki.


	3. Misunderstandings Anyone?

Yuuri had dismissed them shortly after the agreement was made. He had to make some calls apparently to get things in motion. People to warn so they wouldn’t flip out about the vampires showing up. Other packs to inform about the new agreement. Various people to start contacting to find out if anyone knew about a wolf looking for a soulmate that was a vampire. The works. Minami could tell Yuuri wasn’t expecting much to turn up, but he trusted Yuuri enough to know that if there was something he could do Yuuri would have told him.

Minami decided he’d show the new guests to their rooms and go from there, Yuuri wasn’t exactly detailed in his request to help their new guests settle in. “We just cleaned the place, so you shouldn’t have to deal with too much wolf scent.” He said, looking over his shoulder. It was true, all they had left to do was finish the laundry in the basement. Everything else had been scrubbed clean of all possible indicators that Yuuri was an omega.

Viktor seemed lost in his own world, looking around the hallway, so Minami found himself making eye contact with the Russian Yuri. The other looked startled and jerked his head away. Minami pouted and kept walking. How was he supposed to get the other to let his guard down for Minami to get even over Yuuri’s scar if the vampire wouldn’t look at him?

Minami let the walk continue in silence before he stopped in front of a pair of doors. He looked over at the pair of vampires, tilting his head curiously as he spoke, “We have a room with a king size bed you guys can use, unless you’d rather something smaller?”

That seemed to snap Viktor out of it. Yuri looked appalled at the implication and started stuttering something in Russian. Minami only got more confused. Did they not sleep in the same bed? Yuuri and he did, though admittedly it was to help hide Yuuri’s scent, but maybe vampires slept in coffins? Oh no, maybe offering a bed was rude? Minami felt a little anxious as he waited for one of them to speak in English, “We’ll have separate rooms! No way in hell am I rooming with him!” Yuri finally got out.

Viktor looked vaguely hurt, before adding, “Though we don’t actually sleep, so beds are a little unnecessary.” Did Minami really not know that? Who didn’t know that?

Minami’s face was completely blank. This was so weird. Vampires didn’t sleep? What else about them didn’t he know? How could they not sleep? Next thing you know; they’ll be telling him they don’t prefer the blood of virgins. Minami paused there, okay maybe in all honesty believing everything his old superiors told him before he became Yuuri’s right hand wasn’t the best idea he’d had, but that was hardly the point.

Minami found himself nodding and opening the door, “We have this room and one with a queen sized bed, so you guys can pick which you want.” If Viktor was going to claim the room, then he should have said so sooner because in a second Yuri had flung himself onto the bed. He had made a flying jump for it even. Minami stared in shock, unable to understand, Viktor on the other hand, rolled his eyes. If anything, Minami expected Yuri to say it was hideous. The bed spread was a leopard print, an inside joke among the staff, Yuuri, and himself.

Yuri was in his own little world and Minami was just staring dumbly, still very confused. He found himself walking away, trying to ignore how happy Yuri seemed to be rolling around on the bed. Viktor followed, reminding Minami that he was supposed to show the man where his room was. Minami opened the door to the room that was only a short way down the hallway and gestured to it for Viktor. Viktor slowly walked in, looking around, an odd expression crossing his face.

Minami frowned, these vampires were weird. He tensed, not liking the expression on Viktor, but before he could get too nervous, Viktor spoke, “This place smells like… some kind of soap? Is it commonly used with wolves?”

In Viktor’s mind he knew where he had smelled the scent before, his soulmate nearly constantly reeked of it. That stuffy medical smell. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Minami, waiting for an answer, “Well, sort of? It’s a werewolf brand, pretty common for erasing and disguising scents. It’s the strongest stuff anyone’s come up with so far. Very distinct smell honestly, so it’s not exactly subtle.” Minami admitted with a shrug.

Viktor took a deep breath, focusing on the scent, what was his soulmate trying to hide?

Minami couldn’t help but shake his head, he did _not_ understand vampires. He was about to take his leave when he noticed Russian Yuri coming down the hall toward him, “What are we going to eat? We’ve been fasting since we got to your guys’ territory.” Minami stared, becoming troubled. How were they going to convince anyone to let some strange vampire drink their blood? And how the hell were they supposed to find a virgin to do so? How could you even politely ask that?

Minami took a moment, carefully thinking over what to say in response, “What would you like to eat?” Maybe Yuri’s answer would help him figure out how to get ahold of someone who could spare some blood. God, vampires are a lot of work to get settled in.

Wrong question apparently because Yuri only looked more irritated, “Blood, idiot. Like the stuff you get from butchers or blood banks? You know, the red liquid you have in your veins?” He said, poking the other to get his point across.

What Yuri had expected definitely wasn’t this. He had expected the tiny wolf to be soft and squishy, like a child. Instead though, he felt like he poked a brick wall. Damn, those were some muscles he was hiding in his shirt. Realization that he just touched the other rushed through his mind and he took a step back, opting for pretending that he didn’t do anything.

Minami would have reacted more if he wasn’t marveling at the fact that vampires really didn’t drink virgin’s blood. He didn’t even notice being touched really as he started speaking once Yuri stepped back, “You mean, you guys don’t drink virgin’s blood? You can have like, already collected stuff? From anything with blood?”

The question was so surprising that even Viktor was pulled out of his mental ramblings, trying to figure out why his soulmate felt the need to hide their scent. Both vampires just stared at the Minami, dumbfounded. Was that wolves really think they ate? Fuck, if it was then it made sense that they hated vampires so much. Yuri seemed to be teetering between flipping out more and just giving up so Viktor spoke up to try and figure out what possessed the younger to say such a thing, “No. No we don’t. I don’t even think there’s a taste difference between, um, virgins and non-virgins. Blood doesn’t need to be fresh.” Viktor paused and found himself asking, “Do most wolves think that?”

Minami’s eyes had gone very wide by this point and he started flailing his hands, “No! Of course not! I was, um, joking?” He hesitated, “Well, um, actually, I don’t know. That’s just what I’ve been told. For like… ever? So maybe others don’t think that?” He said, facing flushing and shifting awkwardly. It looked cute to say the least.

Viktor frowned, but decided to drop it, the kid was probably so young that other’s just kept up the joke because of his naivety. Or at least, that’s what Viktor told himself. The kid was just young. Definitely. That had to be it, no wolf actually believed that, right?

Minami gathered himself and started to speak again, quickly changing the topic, “So, I guess I’ll go get some blood then. Everyone’s on vacation right now so, um, yeah. I’ll do this.” He gestured to the house vaguely, “Make yourselves at home I guess? Yuuri will probably stop you if you get into anything you’re not supposed to so no worries? We have, like, a library and stuff, so it shouldn’t be too boring.”

He wanted to get out of there. Or rather, his flight instinct was catching up to him and he felt the urge to flat out bolt but was holding himself in place. His poor heart couldn’t take much more, Yuuri was so calm all the time, these two and their surprises was _not_ good for his health. Before he could move away though, Yuri spoke up, “I’ll come with.”

Minami gave him an alarmed stare, wondering why the other thought he needed company. He was basically an adult, it’s not like he needed help. Even if the task was so weird. What was Yuri playing at? Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Viktor had turned back to the room to start looking around. There was a small bookshelf inside and Viktor had a feeling if he wanted to read he should start here, not wanting to irritate Katsuki so early in his stay by poking around for the library.

Yuri only vaguely realized that the wolf kid was probably used to more responsibility than this since he was Katsuki’s stupidly young right hand, but that didn’t mean he was just going to let the younger be stuck doing more errands than normal just because they were staying. He was also kind of concerned someone would try and kidnap Minami, he was so small after all. “It’s just, you’re like, twelve? Couldn’t Katsuki do it? You shouldn’t have to do so much by yourself.”

Minami couldn’t help but blush and nervously chuckle, looking away, “I’m not twelve, I’m actually turning nineteen soon.” He admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. Yuri’s eyes went wide and he found himself flushing in response, fuck just because seven years didn’t make much difference to him did not mean he should have been so off on guessing Minami’s age. Wolf’s aging only slowed when they reached their twenties after all. “Don’t worry, I get that a lot.” Minami continued, “But um, if you want you can come with? You’ll be here for a while so it might be good to get used to the town.”

Yuri nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “Yeah, that would be good. Viktor has no sense of direction, so I guess one of us should at least know their way around.”

-

Yuri did not know what to make of Minami’s incessant babbling. It was kind of really fucking annoying. He kept accidentally switching to Japanese, which made his explanations absolutely impossible to follow. They had managed to get some blood from a couple different places. Unsurprisingly, most of the people they saw knew Minami and was happy to offer any assistance he needed, even if it was for getting something as unusual as blood. Even more odd was that most people who helped them were human.

Why bother socializing with things with such fleeting lives? It made no sense. They and their children would all be dead before Minami hit 150. Horrible. Yuri was not one to waste time on relationships like that. Despite Yuri’s irritation, Minami’s happy mood was a little infectious. Yuri found himself chuckling at some of Minami’s random stories even.

“And then Yuuri-san was all, ‘Minami you can’t run around as a wolf giving kids rides!’ And I was like, ‘Watch me, bitch.’ He was soooo horrified. It was hilarious.” Yuri kind of felt that with most of Minami’s stories involved another Yuuri other than Katsuki. Either that or the stories were grossly exaggerated. Katsuki seemed so normal and endearing in Minami’s stories. He even seemed relatable.

He felt bad interrupting, but he knew he should bring up where he wanted to go next before they got too far away, “Hey, me and Viktor dropped our things off at a hotel nearby, Asuka I think, can we swing by and get them?” Yuri wasn’t entirely sure why he even asked. He should have just told Minami that they were going to the hotel. He might have too, if he had any idea where they were in relation to it.

Minami blinked, taken aback before nodding and continuing with his rambling. “I’ve been to Asuka before, it has a relaxing atmosphere. You can get cozy rooms, big rooms, or old fashioned stuff when I was there last. It was so nice. Good choice.” He said with a smile as he led the other in the right direction, feeling immensely relaxed for being out with a vampire he barely knew. Odd.

They eventually made it to the hotel and to Yuri and Viktor’s room. Minami stepped inside the room carefully, allowing the vampire to do whatever he needed to gather his and Viktor’s things. He was lost in his thoughts before he realized something, “Wait, you guys knew you were staying? Even if….” He paused, it clicking for him. “You guys never intended to leave until you found what you’re looking for, even if Yuuri-san didn’t give you permission.”

Yuri had his back towards Minami when Minami said this, and at hearing the other’s words, Yuri paused. Mentally debating whether or not he should lie, “Correct.” He turned and made eye contact with Minami, his expression being schooled into something unreadable, “The permission was just to make things easier.” He said flatly. He knew he was pushing his luck by being honest, but there was no way he could get away with a lie with the look Minami was giving him.

Minami processed the information. While definitely implying that they were lying earlier, somehow Minami doubted this was what Yuuri had picked up on. He shrugged, realizing Yuri was waiting for a reaction of some sort. “I was probably going to have to follow you guys out anyway if Yuuri-san had turned you down.”

Yuri seemed okay with that response enough to turn back around and continue packing up, he didn’t exactly feel the need to push the issue. They were both right hands after all, and unless Minami had already been given instructions to harm him, Yuri doubt that he had anything to be concerned about from the teen.

If Yuri was worried about things falling into an awkward silence though, he didn’t have to be, it seemed Minami had plenty to talk about. “Do you guys know anything about wolf etiquette? Not to be rude or anything, but the entire staff is wolves, and if you guys are going to be here for two months it’ll make things pretty awkward if you don’t.”

“I mean, we know some of the basics, I think? Viktor probably knows more than me, but with his shitty memory I wouldn’t assume he remembers anything too in depth. He really hates you guys, so it’s not like he would care enough to remember.” That was putting it gently, when Viktor used to get angry drunk after a battle Yuri would get stuck hearing the man’s ramblings about how aggravating Katsuki was and why wouldn’t he just die. Yuri tried to pay his mentor as little mind as possible since he was beginning to doubt Katsuki would ever get killed at that point. Maybe earlier in the war when Katsuki was still green, but by the last couple years it was incredibly difficult to fight him with even the notion that you could get a shot at killing him. He was just as fast and strong as any vampire and he knew everyone’s tricks. Apparently being alive a few centuries and only switching up your fighting style every couple of decades made you a bit predictable. Who would’ve guessed?

Minami seemed to have been expecting Yuri’s response about etiquette so he continued with ease, not even noticing Yuri’s inner monologue about how Viktor loathed them or even seeming to care that Viktor actively hated wolves, “Most of the stuff you can pick up on pretty easily without being told, but we’ll need to get you guys some scent soaps.” He said, straightening up as Yuri moved towards the door with the suitcases and following the vampire out.

“What for? I know we don’t smell good to you guys, but I didn’t think we smelled that bad.” Yuri retorted with a slight glare. He recalled how apparently Katsuki had once commented on Viktor’s scent back in the day. Yuri always chopped it up to Katsuki having been a child at the time with no manners. Not so much that it was a real issue.

“Because, without stronger soaps, everyone will have a clear idea what you’ve been doing for, like, the past week. After that the scents kind of rub off, but still. Shower or otherwise, smells stay a while.” Minami couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. He had mainly suggested it because he was beginning to pick up on the fact that Yuri was not going to appreciate everyone being able to know so much about what he had been doing.

Yuri made a face, but held his thoughts on it as he returned the room key to the front desk. He followed Minami out, assuming he was most likely going to lead them where ever they needed to go to get the soaps. “What can you smell on me then if apparently I have such a noticeable scent?” Yuri grumbled bitterly, pulling the heavy suitcases behind him. If Yuri hadn’t offered to tag along originally because he thought the errands were too much to ask the young wolf to do, he would make the kid pull a suitcase in a heartbeat.

Minami decided this was the best time to not look anywhere remotely close to Yuri’s direction. “Um, well you see…” He did _not_ want to have to spell it out to Yuri. How can you politely say ‘I can smell every time you’ve sweat, even in private, for the past week’? You can’t that’s how. “I can smell nearly everything you’ve done for the past week.” He finally stated bluntly.

It seemed to take a few minutes to process, Yuri trying to figure out what about that was so embarrassing when a thought crossed his mind, “ _Everything_ , everything?” That would just be plain creepy. He hoped his tone hinted at what he meant enough for the other to not ask for clarification.

Minami nodded weakly, face heating up and his posture rigid, “ _Everything_ everything.” Thank the heavens Yuri seemed to get what he was hinting at. This thought was confirmed when Yuri sputtered and lit up red.

Minami knew the last time he had, for lack of subtly, masturbated? Ugh that was so fucked up! Thank the heavens they reached whatever store they were going to and Minami slipped inside, so Yuri could wait outside and try to calm his embarrassment.

Yuri idly pulled out his phone and started to play around with it. He loved the thing, despite it being a human gadget, even he could admit the quality of the technology. Soon enough Minami exited the store and rejoined him, tossing him a bottle of unlabeled spray. “Spray this on, it’ll work until you can take a shower.”

Yuri did so instantly, not about to doubt the other’s word. At this point he would be okay smelling like anything else. After he was sure he was dowsed in the stuff, they kept walking. Minami seemed to be less awkward, and much more comfortable since they were heading back to Katsuki’s house.

Yuri wondered how life was like normally for the wolf pair. During the war or otherwise. Minami was nineteen, that meant since he was twelve this was had been going on. Over one third of his life. Yuri couldn’t fathom how Katsuki had put his friend through such a thing. He was so young, was war really necessary? In all honesty, there hadn’t been a war between supernatural creatures in over a century before it.

It had been seen as a childish vendetta and then a foolish plan until everyone realized how seriously Katsuki was about everything. Sure enough, Katsuki had proved to everyone that this war was very real to him. Yuri never did manage to grasp how Katsuki had come to the conclusion that this was the best course of action to take. Maybe he would get the time to ask him soon.

-

Once Minami and Yuri left, Viktor decided he should settle down and get comfortable, maybe even try to get a hold of his soul mate. He was probably going to have to give Katsuki real details at some point. That was not going to end well but he really couldn’t do anything about it for the time being. He just needed to stay calm and pass the time until Yuri got back. Yuri could help him figure things out then.

In the meantime, Viktor settled down with a book he had found on the book shelf in his room. It was something about some kind of vampire? It was quite ornate in design and looked heavily read, so Viktor thought he might as well figure out what literature about vampires was out there.

-

An hour later, Viktor found himself confused and horrified. Who wrote this bullshit? Who even would want to live in a castle? What’s up with all of these baseless- oh wait. Viktor felt stupid. This was that book he had heard people laughing about every now and then. Dracula. He sighed putting it down. He felt so stupid. He wasted way too much time to realize it was that stupid human book from over a century ago.

Just as Viktor threw himself on the bed in defeat, there was a knock on the bedroom door. He bolted up, praying it was Yuri, back after deciding leaving Viktor alone for an hour was a horrible decision that would haunt Yuri for the rest of his life. Okay, maybe that was a little unlikely, but Viktor still hoped for it. “Come in!” He called, holding his breath slightly.

In walked Katsuki, looking as emotionless as ever. Viktor tensed, before reminding himself that technically he was Katsuki’s guest right now. Wolves followed the old notion that you had to treat your guests with the upmost care. “I need to talk to you.” Viktor nodded slightly, indicating he was listening to Katsuki.

Katsuki inhaled and started speaking, shifting his weight slightly before leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. “I need to know more about your friend’s soulmate. In fact, the more you tell me, the better. There are too many wolves to just check who is still looking for their soulmate after being vaguely aware of them for five to seven years. It’s just not enough to find them.”

Viktor cursed internally, he was hoping he would get the chance to discuss what he should say with Yuri first before Katsuki asked him. Well fuck. Nothing could be done now. Viktor found himself talking, uncomfortable with Katsuki’s emotionless stare and hoping that the other would leave as soon as he got the information he wanted. “Um, let me think. My friend doesn’t really know much about their soulmate actually in the grand scheme of things.” He hesitated, he did not want to be disclosing such information to Katsuki, especially with the wolf wearing such a cold expression, but it could hardly be helped, “My friend knows that their soulmate has a lot of negative emotions, wears a scent erasing soap like what you guys use to clean here, and um that their soulmate is… uh…”

Katsuki raised his eyebrows at the vampire, indicating that he’d rather Viktor just get on with it. So far Viktor hadn’t said anything that would help at all in finding the person. Yes, the soap was something, but most wolves used the soap frequently if they lived near any pack members. Every wolf home he visited at least had a faint scent of it.

Viktor pushed the last words out, fearing how Katsuki would react. He knew nearly nothing about how the werewolf treated other wolves, and identifying someone as an omega with a soulmate outside the pack might be dangerous. Well, Viktor did know one thing about Katsuki, that he had absolutely no regard for life, but that didn’t help anything. “My friend’s soulmate is an omega.” Viktor didn’t look at Katsuki right away, but when he did he very much wish he hadn’t.

Yuuri appeared to be trying to stifle a laugh, but was failing miserably. What Viktor had told him barely helped him. Nearly every single omega he met soaked themselves in soap and were miserable. Was Viktor describing someone else or Yuuri? That thought made Yuuri start audibly laughing, god what had Yuuri gotten himself into? Helping a vampire? Some kind of supernatural person? Viktor hadn’t even specified what his friend was. This was the vaguest information he could possibly get.

Yuuri couldn’t tell if he envied the wolf stuck in his same position or pitied them. On one hand, they were in a bad situation like he was: being someone who couldn’t trust most of the pack and having to choose between their soulmate and their family. But he also envied the other. What he would give to not have the responsibility of the pack on his shoulders and run away with his soulmate. He would kill for it. No, that wasn’t true. Yuuri would never kill someone just because his own life would be bettered by it, but that didn’t mean the idea wasn’t tempting. Yuuri felt his emotions turn sorrowful, causing him to stop laughing. He couldn’t bring himself to laugh when he felt like this. The sorrow and wistfulness was getting too much control over his mood.

He reigned himself in and resigned himself to a cool expression, only to be greeted with the most hateful stare he had ever seen on someone else’s face. It made Yuuri’s heart skip a beat admittedly, this was not what he was expecting when he looked up. In hindsight laughing wasn’t exactly the best reaction.

Viktor was livid. It was obvious in every move of his body. Looks like Yuri had been had been right about wolves. They really did look down on omegas. He wanted to beat Katsuki’s face in for his laughter. How dare he? They were a pack member of his, how could he laugh like this? Was this the norm? Any respect Viktor had for the wolf was chucked out the window in those few moments. A part of Viktor’s mind did realize that he might be overreacting, if it was such a common sentiment then Katsuki probably didn’t know any better, but still. This was Viktor’s _soulmate_ they were talking about. He couldn’t just not care.

Viktor and Katsuki stared at each other like that for less than half a minute when the front door could be heard being flung open. “Viktor! Get down here!” A gruff voice that belonged to Yuri yelled into the house.

“Yuuri-san! Come here! I got some stuff you might like to check out!” Minami’s happy sing-song voice called out a moment later.

-

A few minutes later, Viktor and Yuri found themselves in a surprisingly small kitchen and dining area sipping on packs of blood. Minami had apparently refused to let the blond have any before they got back. The atmosphere was awkward, everyone in their own little worlds. Viktor was fuming. Yuri was wondering what was up with Viktor and why on earth did Katsuki have a conjoined kitchen and dining room. Yuuri was wondering how he was going to survive all of this with Viktor’s erratic mood swings. Yuuri was pretty certain if their right hands hadn’t returned when they did it would have gotten ugly. Minami was rambling on about his and Yuri’s time out, leaving out the bit about how he found out the vampires intended to stay regardless of whether or not Yuuri let them.

Yuuri was getting out a glass from the cabinet when it slipped from his hands, falling to the floor. Viktor and Yuri were both too far away to catch it, all they could do was watch in horror. Shattering of glass always ended in blood. Blood was not what they needed if they wanted to seem normal to the wolves. Yuuri only had enough time to look horrified before Minami caught the glass. “You klutz, what would you do without me?” Minami teased, handing Yuuri back the glass, choosing to ignore how startled Yuuri looked and thankful that the vampires couldn’t see his mentor’s expression. Yuuri startled easy at home and while it was endearing, not the best thing for your frenemies to know.

Viktor and Yuri let out a sigh of relief, unfortunately for them that brought Minami’s attention back to the pair, “Do you guys eat normal food? Or just blood?” He asked, tilting his head to the side in that childish yet cute way of his.

Viktor decided that talking to Minami would do more good then talking to Katsuki at this point, “Technically we can, but we don’t need to for anything other than recreational activities. Our bodies don’t digest food like you guys do.” Viktor said with his warmest smile he could manage. If Katsuki was a demon then he at least needed to get one of them to like him, if only a little. Viktor needed the help and one person was better than none.

Yuri huffed and turned around in his chair to face Minami, “Why do you ask?” He said with narrowed eyes, if he recalled a surprising amount of the random stories Minami had told him about involved Minami having no clue how to cook.

Minami smiled before turning back to Yuuri, wrapping his arms around his mentor’s waist in an attempt to relax him, “Tonight’s katsudon night, right? We’re still having some aren’t we?” Minami said, batting his eyelashes up at Yuuri. He knew the other had difficulty saying no to him when he did that. Not to mention, Yuuri never passed up an opportunity to make katsudon.

What Minami didn’t notice, was how the vampires reacted. They both glanced at each other, were Minami and Katsuki in _that_ kind of relationship? It would make things make so much sense. And it would also explain why Katsuki smelled slightly of Minami even to the vampires. They didn’t have much time to think on it though because Minami was letting go of Yuuri and turning to face them. “If you guys have taste buds, you’ll love katsudon! It’s the best!” He said happily.

Yuuri sighed before shooting Minami a dirty look and starting to silently make the meal. Minami meanwhile plopped himself down at the table, much to Yuri’s relief for the sake of edible food, and started talking.

Yuri contemplated why he was still in the kitchen when he didn’t have to be while Viktor got a little lost in his thoughts again, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Minami had to be Katsuki’s closest friend. Which was odd, considering the age gap. The teen never seemed to speak ill of his mentor and whenever Katsuki came up in Minami’s random stories, Minami’s tone never reflected anything less positive then affectionate irritation. How could two blood-thirsty wolves act so _domestic_? It made Viktor’s stomach turn, which was a bit of a feat since his stomach was a vestigial organ.

Minami was happy to talk to the vampires. It gave him an excuse to keep an eye on them, and to not have to do anything. He loved Yuuri’s katsudon too, so it was a double win. Since the staff normally made dinner, and since Yuuri and Minami had been breaking the routine the past few weeks, that meant for the first time in years Minami was going to get to have _katsudon made by Yuuri_. It was a dream come true and he’d be damned if it was taken from him.

-

Somehow less than half an hour later, the four found themselves sitting around the table. Each person had a full bowl of katsudon in front of them alongside a drink and utensils to eat with. Viktor and Yuri were thoroughly confused as to why they had been served any food in the first place. They said they didn’t need to eat, so why waste it?

Minami gestured for them to eat and gave each a pleading look. Face contorted in irritation, Yuri took a bite, since Viktor wasn’t going to and Katsuki had already started. The chocking sound Yuri made caused the rest of the table to panic slightly. By the time Yuri put his hand up, Minami was already standing, Katsuki looked like a dear in the headlights, and Viktor just looked appalled. Could vampires even choke? He had never even seen it happen before, even after 2000 years.

Yuri shook his head and audibly swallowed, “I’m fine, it just….” He trailed off and mumbled something. Katsuki decided that was enough of an explanation and went back to ignoring them. Minami relaxed a little and asked Yuri to repeat what he had mumbled, “It just tastes way better than I expected.” Yuri muttered more audibly then before and started chowing down.

Minami was taking his time eating, savoring each bite and satisfied that at least Yuri was enjoying the food. He shot a glance at Yuuri and started beaming. Yuuri was lost in his own little world. Minami didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know that Yuuri was thinking of his family. His mother’s katsudon recipe was one of the few things Yuuri had to remember his mother by. Consequently, he got pretty sentimental when he ate it.

Viktor had no intentions of eating to humor his hosts, even if it was rude. He was too busy being irritated. Yuri wasn’t even paying him any mind, deciding that wasting his energy on coaxing Viktor to chill was a waste of time. Viktor decided that he might as well try and get some answers out of his hosts now, since it would be a complete waste of time to just sit here.

“So Minami, do you feel the same way about omega’s as Katsuki does?” Minami nearly spit out his food, sending a glance to Yuuri to see if the other had a similar reaction. Judging by his expression though, Minami doubted Yuuri was listening. Thank fucking god.

Minami took a few moments to gather himself. What had Yuuri said? Minami knew that, despite his hopes of Yuuri opening up, there was no way he told Viktor how he really felt about omega issues. Was that why Viktor was so irritated? What could Yuuri have said to cause such a reaction? And what did omegas matter to Viktor? This was so confusing. Finally, Minami felt himself talking, “I’m not sure, what did Yuuri-san say?”

Viktor shot the oblivious Katsuki a glare hissing out, “He just laughed when I told him my friend’s soulmate was an omega that was sad a lot and wore a lot of scent erasers.” He said bitterly, the anger returning to him in full force. Carefully he softened his expression and looked over at Minami, who had a confused expression on his face. No one had noticed Yuri had stopped eating, watching the exchange intently.

Minami was trying to process why Yuuri’s reaction was surprising. Of course he would laugh. If Viktor’s friend’s soulmate was an omega the other two details were a given. After a moment of consideration though, Minami realized why Viktor was reacting in such a way. Apparently vampires knew as little about wolves as wolves did about them sometimes. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” He said gently, his expression contorting into a painfully amused expression.

“How so?” Viktor challenged. He was confident in the fact that that was exactly what had happened earlier, what was there to misunderstand?

Minami pretended that the wall to his right was interesting and spoke, “If we’re being honest here, I don’t think I’ve ever met an omega, outside of the officials Yuuri-san has protected, that isn’t depressed and wearing too many scent erasers.” He admitted, looking back to Viktor. Minami wished he was lying, but it was true. Most omegas hid their scent to the extreme, Yuuri might be the most paranoid, but he was part of the norm, not the exception. Minami felt the need to continue since Viktor just looked confused, “There’s some discourse about secondary gender outside of the higher-ups. It’s sad but true. Most prefer to not be found out. Higher ups only escape harassment because Yuuri forces equality and respect whenever he can.”

Minami’s sorrowful glance at Katsuki left something unspoken hang in the air. Viktor wasn’t sure what, but he guessed that Katsuki might have not been laughing in amusement earlier. If what Minami said was true, it probably hurt Katsuki that his efforts didn’t reach everyone. “Oh... I’m sorry, I think I did misunderstand.” Viktor found himself admitting, not entirely sure what else to say.

Minami examined Yuuri’s expression, he was definitely listening at this point, he didn’t have that dazed look in his eyes. He looked tenser than normal too. Minami decided that it would be best not to push it, he had already come close to pointing out the flaw in Viktor’s observation that Yuuri hated omegas was mostly because Yuuri _was_ an omega. Minami knew better than to get any closer to the topic, it was a secret for a reason.

Yuri had gone back to eating. Viktor decided that he should at least try the food, if only to humor his hosts. He felt a little irritated with himself that he hadn’t realized Katsuki’s emotions might have another meaning then face value. Slowly he lifted a bite to his lips, his eyes widening as he chewed and tasted it, “Vkusno!” He said in delight.

“It tastes so good! I had no idea food could taste this good! Is this what heaven tastes like?” Viktor said lightning fast in Russian before starting to eagerly chow down, his sour mood completely forgotten in favor of enjoying the delicious food in front of him.

Viktor was only vaguely aware of Yuri translating for Minami and Katsuki. If he wasn’t so absorbed in the moment, he would have seen Katsuki’s pleased expression.


	4. Soulmates and Yukatas

A few hours had passed since dinner, and Yuri couldn’t say he minded eating, the food had been good. Something about all of this, just felt… nice. He couldn’t really explain it. He yawned, cuddling up in the warm bed and relaxing. He enjoyed his soulmate’s feelings, but he couldn’t help but wonder how Viktor was doing this. The guy’s soulmate never even asked Viktor to find them. Yet here they were, in Japan, looking for someone they may never find. Staying with old enemies. While Minami seemed alright, Yuri didn’t really trust Katsuki.

From what he knew, he wouldn’t put it past the wolf to undermine the whole thing. Something tugged in his chest though, wondering what to make of all these feelings. He normally felt so irritable, yet right now, he felt more content then he had in years.

Before he could linger on the thought too long a soft voice whispered into his mind, _“Um, is anyone there?”_ Yuri sat bolt upright in bed. Since when could his soulmate talk to him? A million questions buzzed through his mind but he was tugged out of it, _“Please tell me someone’s there.”_ The voice said nervously. Yuri really wished he had spent more time trying to focus on his soulmate. They sounded so scared. So afraid of the possibility that no one was there. Yuri also cursed the forces of the world for making it so you couldn’t accurate perceive what your soulmates voice sounded like mentally.

“I’m here! I’m here! I promise.” Yuri managed back, happy with himself for getting the words out despite his shock. His chest tightened. He was _so_ not prepared for this. He hadn’t tracked much about his soulmate so he figured he still had a few years before they would make contact. He plopped back into the bed, waiting nervously for the other’s reply. Fuck, they were doing this. They were having their goddamn first conversation.

 _“Oh thank god. I, uh, was just worried. I’ve never heard from you, you know? I just… wanted to make sure you were really there and that it wasn’t just all in my mind.”_ Yuri let himself get immersed in the conversation, nothing could be more important than this right now, ignoring everything else.

“Yeah, I understand. I didn’t want to scare you. I’m pretty certain I’m older than you.” Yuri felt his heart stutter as the horrifying thought that his soulmate might be human crossed his mind but he shoved the notion away quickly.

 _“Yeah, I think you’re right. I’m sorry I haven’t tried talking to you before, I wanted to make sure I didn’t…”_ There was hesitation, Yuri could feel it, _“I don’t want to worry you. But it’s okay now, I’m fine. Soulmates have just been brought up a lot recently, so I started thinking about you… and yeah.”_

“It’s okay, I understand. I should be the one apologizing; I should have made contact first. I know it’s not a good enough explanation, but I didn’t want to freak you out. I have no idea how old you are and I didn’t want to scare you. Everyone starts sensing their soulmate at such varying ages, for all I know you could be ten, which would be fine, I can wait. I’ve got more than enough time.” God that sounded creepy, but the words were already said and Yuri couldn’t take them back, but he could cringe about it. He just meant to be supportive and not make his soulmate panic if they were young.

When his soulmate responded, there was laughter in their tone, _“It’s fine, I understand. I’m actually in my late teens right now. Like, old enough to be fine with um, meeting you, if that was okay. But we don’t have to rush things! I was just thinking about it and it occurred to me I don’t really have a reason to avoid you. We are going to meet at some point, after all.”_

“True, I would take you up on the offer of meeting, but I’m actually in another country on business. I’m stuck here for a few months at least. In the meantime, though, I would love to get to know more about you. I’ve waited a long time to finally get to hear from you.” Yuri hadn’t even been certain he had a soulmate for very long, only about a decade and a half before he felt them for the first time. He just figured there was no one for him. That he was alone. It had been fine for a while, but eventually he realized he wanted to feel what it was like to have a soulmate. He wanted to know. He had doubted it would make him feel “complete” but he wanted the experience none the less.

 _“Th-thank you. That’s very sweet of you to say. I would like to get to know more about you too. Let’s try and go slow, if we tried to tell each other everything, I’m sure we’d forget some things. Plus, if we go slow, it’s an excuse to talk frequently.”_ Yuri smiled, cute. He hated going slow, but right now it felt natural.

“Should we ask questions or just pick something random to tell each other?” Yuri debated verbally, either option was fine with him. Questions did seem like a very typical awkward high schooler flirting style, but he had a million things he wanted to know.

 _“Um let’s go random, since we don’t know any of the other’s sore topics, plus it’ll feel more like a normal conversation.”_ True, his soulmate did have a point. They were so caring; Yuri hadn’t even thought of the possibility of accidentally running into a sore topic. He was immediately grateful that the other had suggested this way. Many people had told Yuri over the years that he was flat out dense to social ques for avoiding subjects.

“Well, in that case, I’ll start.” Yuri was _not_ about to let the conversation become awkward or make the other uncomfortable. “I look really young for my age,” That’s one way of putting it Yuri chuckled to himself, “I don’t have much family to speak of. And I’ve traveled a lot. Oh! I also know a handful of languages English-“ Yuri stopped himself before he could rattle off the rest, if he said all the ones he knew, he would definitely sound more like an old geezer than he already did, “And a few others.”

His soulmate seemed to absorb the information, debating what would be too much to share and what was enough to combat that, _“That’s great! I know English too! I’m not that close with my family, but I do have a good friend that I live with. I think we’re going to make a funny pair because someone mistook me for being way younger than I actually am today. Also, I haven’t traveled much, but I would love to.”_

When you talked with your soulmate mentally, you mostly just understood their words, any details, like how their voice sounds or if you two were actually communicating in a real language, are hard to ascertain. Yuri had even heard sometimes soulmates didn’t share a verbal language and had to spend years talking mentally after they met. Yuri found himself breathing a sigh of relief, at least he wasn’t going to have to learn another language. Even if it was unlikely that there wasn’t at least one common language between them. Despite the information he had been given, it only caused more questions to pop into his head. Before he could say anything in response, though, his soulmate pipped up again, _“I’m so sorry, but I have to go! Talk to you later!”_

With that Yuri’s soulmate slipped away, leaving him with a warm and fluttering heart. Maybe he understood Viktor more now. In a moment of impulse, he decided he’d go tell the other the news. He got up, with some sluggish reluctance since he could still feel his soulmate’s drowsiness, made his way out of the room, down the hall, in front of Viktor’s door, and knocked.

Yuri didn’t wait for a response, it’s not like Viktor was asleep. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, letting the door shut behind him. What Yuri saw made his heart still. He was too absorbed in the moment to realize his soulmate had a similar mood swing moments before him.

Regardless, he found his words die in his throat as he walked towards Viktor. Viktor was lying in bed, arm thrown over his eyes, very noticeably crying. Just what the fuck had happened?

-

When Yuuri and Minami retired to their room, both were exhausted. Minami quickly curled up in bed, saying he could take a shower in the morning. Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to care whether or not the other showered as he made his way to the bathroom connected to the room. They had cleaned so much today that Minami still reeked of soap anyway.

Yuuri stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Part of his mind chuckled, Minami had heard him during his fucking _heat_ what would him seeing Yuuri naked matter at this point? Yuuri didn’t linger on that thought though as he turned on the water and started slipping out of his clothes. He probably could get away without showering, but he was too paranoid to dare. The vampires couldn’t smell well enough to notice that he was an omega, and Minami already knew. If another wolf showed up though, he’d be in serious trouble if he skipped the shower.

As the water heated up, Yuuri looked himself over in the mirror. He had various scars littering his chest and arms, those would heal in a few months, no doubt. His eyes were dragged down to one on his right hip, guilt flooding him. It was larger than the rest. He had let it happen. Simply put. He could have avoided it, but he had let himself get chucked at the rocks. He could still remember the pain as though it was yesterday.

He deserved it. He knew he could not back down now, but sometimes in moments like this, he felt truly guilty. Had the war been worth it? Yes, it was carefully planned. Yes, he only let volunteers fight. Yes, he made sure that no one was leaving a young family behind by fighting in it. Yes, he had made sure everyone knew the exact reason he started this war. Yes, he even told his soldiers to avoid killing if at all possible. Yes, the war had the lowest casualty rate in history, even compared to others of its length. The guilt sometimes still ate away at Yuuri though. What right did he have to lead his people? He stared at himself in the mirror, squaring his shoulders and forcing himself calm.

He had the right because it was the reason he was born. He was born to lead. His mother risked her life to have him. His father had never blamed him for his mother’s death. Mari never blamed him. Sure Yuuri had blamed himself on occasion, but the thoughts were entirely unfounded. From the moment he was born, he was meant to lead the wolves. He had long since accepted it. There was no other path for him. Even if things didn’t go according to plan, this was the path he was destined to walk. Alone. If he hadn’t started the war, it would have led to someone else attacking them. There would have been countless more casualties for the wolves and their attacker’s. Vampires had made the most sense, they were the strongest and nearly impossible to completely kill. It kept the casualties low. It was the right choice.

He turned away from the mirror and stepped into the shower, shutting the glass door behind him. One of the benefits of having a small mansion, he had so much hot water he could sit for hours in the shower. He did so frequently instead of sleeping. Yuuri was just reaching for the soap when he felt something poking at his mind. At first he was confused, then he realized it was his soulmate. Oops, he probably should have talked to them sooner, since they hadn’t talked since his heat. Carefully he opened his mind more and waited for the other to talk, _“I want to meet you.”_

Yuuri froze for half a second, honestly, this was not what he expected the other to say. He played with the thought in his mind. Meeting his soulmate. That would be very nice. To finally have somewhere he belonged. But could he really ask his soulmate to be with him? Everything considered? “I don’t really know if you should… I’m sure I’m not what you’d expect.”

An image of a cute girl, small and delicate appeared in his mind. Yuuri had met other omegas and he was certain they were all cuter then him. Him, cute? Ha good joke. He was muscled and scarred. He kept a wall between himself and the world, save Minami. It felt better that way. He was emotionally reserved and had one hell of a past for someone his age. Not to mention he was probably the cause of someone his soulmate knew dying. _“I don’t care if you’re not what I expect. We’re soulmates, right? That means we’re perfect for each other. I’ve spent so much of my life thinking I was alone, but I’m not. You’re here.”_

Yuuri could tell his soulmate barely dodged saying they had him. It would have sounded pretty possessive. A chuckle escaped his throat as he resumed taking his shower, deciding he could hold a conversation while he did so. He wasn’t sure he believed his soulmate about being perfect for each other. How could Yuuri be perfect for anyone? “I really doubt you’ll like me. You deserve someone better than me.”

Yuuri was aware he sounded like he had low self-esteem, but he would argue that wasn’t the case. He was being objective. He had killed people. He was considered heartless by many, even some of his own people. He lied and was deceitful. Soulmates should be someone that goes above and beyond expectations. Not someone you’d regret meeting. _“Is it because I’m a vampire? That you’re a werewolf? Or that you’re an omega? If it matters to you, I can accept that. But it doesn’t make the slightest difference in the world to me.”_

Yuuri wasn’t an idiot. He knew what the other was getting at. Did Yuuri not like them because of something that was inherent to the connection. Was he racist? Was he ashamed of being an omega? That’s what his soulmate was really asking. “Well, yes and no. I… I fought in the war. I could’ve killed people you’ve known. I don’t want to hurt you. If we never meet, then… it would be safer.” Yuuri didn’t want to point out the fact that there was a high possibility his pack would never respect his soulmate if they were a vampire. But, that wasn’t what he was worried about.

Could he handle seeing his soulmates heart break in front of him? What if his soulmate recognized him? What if he recognized his soulmate? _“Well that makes two of us.”_ His soulmate began confidently, _“I am going to look for you. Even if we only meet for a few minutes. Don’t you want to know what it would be like to be together?”_

Yuuri could tell he was hurting his soulmate. They sounded insecure. Like they were afraid Yuuri didn’t want them. A horrible though flashed through Yuuri’s mind. He could _force_ his soulmate to hate him. He had seen other’s do it. Hurt someone so bad that they could no longer stand to think of you. He humored the idea for a little too long. It sure would solve a lot of his problems regarding soulmates. Could he do it, though? Hurt his soulmate intentionally to save himself from getting heartbroken? “I think you should give up on me.”

Yuuri cut the connection as fast as he could. He didn’t intend to hurt the other too much with his words. He just genuinely needed to think this over. Is finding his soulmate what he wanted? Mari founding hers caused so much to happen. If she hadn’t Yuuri probably wouldn’t have been born. Not to mention, was Yuuri ready for that kind of relationship with someone? He had very rarely played with the idea of having a romantic relationship with anyone, casual or otherwise.

Carefully he turned off the shower, having finished washing, and started drying himself off. He didn’t bother looking in the mirror, just pulled on some boxers and toweled his hair enough. He walked back into the bedroom, and surprisingly Minami was still awake. He was mumbling to himself in a happy voice and Yuuri’s eyes widened as he realized the younger was talking to his soulmate. Yuuri froze up. He felt panic rushing through him with guilt. He had never even _thought_ of Minami’s soulmate.

Yuuri’s mind flooded with emotions. He didn’t even realize Minami walking over to him until the teen grabbed Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri looked up from their hands and made eye contact with Minami, tension easing away from him. Minami gave him a weak smile and pulled Yuuri into a hug, nuzzling his mentor’s neck. Yuuri chuckled, Minami always knew how to sooth him. Even when he hadn’t said anything. The tension left Yuuri and he wrapped his arms around Minami, glad Minami was shorter so the position felt comfortable. “Thank you…” He mumbled gently, sliding his fingers into the base of Minami’s hair.

-

When Viktor and Yuri decided to finally drag themselves down stairs the next morning, the first thing they saw in the kitchen was Katsuki cooking with a small apron around his waist. He was talking on the phone in fast Japanese. He sounded happy and kept laughing and calling the other person something like Phichit? Viktor was unfamiliar with the name. Just before Katsuki hung up he quickly said in English, “Love you too, Phichit, now go, I’ll see you in a few weeks. Go spend some time with that soulmate of yours, bye.”

Yuri looked confused, but plopped down at the table anyway, “How’d you get down here? Neither of us even heard you.” The pair of vampires had been hanging out in Viktor’s room since the incident last night. They had stayed cooped-up so long because they hadn’t heard either of their hosts get up yet.

Katsuki didn’t even glance behind him, moving around the bacon in the pan, “The majority of the rooms are nearly entirely sound proof with the door closed.” He tapped his ear, “Otherwise we’d hear too much. It was designed so it would offer a small reprieve from the outside world.”

Yuri seemed to find the answer suitable and plopped his head onto his arms, expecting Viktor to grab him a pack of blood from the fridge. Viktor walked to the fridge and before he could pull the door open, Katsuki’s hand appeared, holding it shut. A growl escaped Viktor’s throat. Surely Katsuki knew better than to come between a vampire and blood, “Move.” Viktor hissed out, barely restraining himself from getting too angry. Despite not needing sleep, Viktor couldn’t be described as a morning person.

Katsuki hummed calmly, not even looking over at him, “You both can wait until Minami gets back. Its rude to start a meal before everyone’s present.” He said before adding, “Plus I know you have self-restraint with blood. You can wait a bit.” He said, cool as a cucumber as he started removing the bacon from the pan. He let his hand fall from the fridge door, not doubting for a second that Viktor would do as he asked.

Viktor huffed and went to the table with Yuri, who had started to fiddle with his phone again, “So when is blondie coming back?” Yuri asked, ignoring his mentor’s irritated expression.

Katsuki chuckled, which made Viktor freeze. Viktor had never heard the wolf laugh in actual humor. Only from some kind of fucked up joke. Yuri didn’t bat an eye though, judging from Minami’s stories Katsuki wasn’t as stone faced as he came off, “Careful, if he heard you gave him a nickname, he’ll ask you to never stop. Honestly though, he should be back fairly soon, he was only running to the store to grab some peaches for me.”

Yuri hummed and went back to tapping away at his phone. Viktor noticed his apprentice had an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Odd. The kitchen fell into an easy silence as Katsuki cooked, Yuri checked Instagram, and Viktor mused on his conversation with his soulmate last night.

-

Just as Katsuki was setting the table, Minami burst through the front door. In an instant he was in the kitchen, bouncing excitedly. “Yuuri, Yuuri!” He gushed, not caring how informal he was as he set the peaches down on the counter and clutched a paper to his chest.

Yuri wondered what the fuck got the teen so hyper. Maybe he had coffee. “Yes, Minami? What is it?” Katsuki said, going to the peaches and putting them inside the fridge, grabbing two blood packs at the same time. Yuri nearly snorted as Viktor sat up, alert, at the sight of the packs. That man really only thought with his stomach in the morning.

Minami sat down happily, gently folding the paper on the table. “I know what I want for my birthday.” He said calmly, clearly trying to reign himself in. Yuri knew he had said his birthday was coming up, but he was admittedly surprised it was soon enough to be saying something like that. Not waiting for Katsuki to respond Minami continued, “I would like to celebrate a little early and go to this!” He said, holding the paper out for Katsuki as the man sat down.

Katsuki set the blood packs on the table, not caring that Viktor snatched one almost immediately. Yuri rolled his eyes, his mentor was so childish. If he had wanted one so badly he should have just gotten it without Katsuki’s permission. He waited to grab one himself as Katsuki unfolded the paper carefully. His eyes quickly scanned it, flickering up to Minami after a minute or two, “What about them?”

Yuri plucked up his pack and watched Minami, as the teen started piling bacon onto his plate, “We can take them with! I know you wouldn’t leave them here. Plus, no one’s going to be back yet and I know you have the time. I know everyone will be back, like, the next day but still. It’ll be fun! You know I’ve always wanted to go! And since it’s almost a week away we have plenty of time.” Minami said, bouncing slightly and taking a few bites of bacon, happily munching away.

Katsuki chuckled, “Okay, if this is what you want, I’m all for it.” He said, setting the paper down and gathering some food for himself. He seemed so relaxed. If Yuri was less observant, he wouldn’t have noticed Viktor eyeing Katsuki. Like he couldn’t quite decide what to make of him.

Yuri’s eyes were dragged from Viktor to the paper, eyes narrowing as he tried to read it. It was a flier… for a festival? With fireworks? Maybe? Honestly it was hard to read upside down and he was only mildly certain it was in English. “So, a festival?” He said, raising an eyebrow at Minami, hoping he was right and wasn’t making a fool out of himself.

Minami beamed, “Yep! Fireworks, food stalls, games, all the good stuff!” He sung out, before glancing at Katsuki, “Can we get new yukatas for it? Mine are all too small now.” Yuri snorted, finding it hard to believe that Minami had grown enough to outgrow anything. Minami seemed to pick up on why Yuri was amused and scowled at him, “I do grow! I’m just small for my age.” He said, sulking as he went back to eating.

“Of course, we can go get them today, if you want. You know my schedule’s empty.” Katsuki glanced at Viktor and Yuri before going back to his food, “We can even get them one each to wear if you want.” Yuri stuttered, not entirely sure what a yukata was or why he needed to wear one. He was about to voice his disdain for the idea when Minami spoke up.

“That would be awesome! I think it would be a great experience! Yukatas are the best!” Minami said, nearly inhaling the rest of his food, “I’m going to go get something cute to wear on, we should go soon, since it’s a bit of a trip to the city.” He grabbed Katsuki’s arm and yanked him up, “Come on, let’s go get ready.” He glanced at the vampires, “Look good too, we can’t be seen with two guys that can’t speak Japanese _and_ have zero fashion sense.” He winked and in a blink him and Katsuki had disappeared, leaving the vampires stunned in their seats.

-

Half an hour later, Viktor found himself by the front door with Yuri, wondering what was taking Katsuki and Minami so long. Luckily, while they waited, Yuri looked up what a yukata was. It looked comfortable at least. Viktor wasn’t entirely sure why they needed to wear one, but he figured he could argue the details later. He was about to give up and start reading the closest book when Minami and Katsuki came down the stairs.

Viktor could hear Yuri suck in a breath of air. While Yuri and Viktor always tried to keep their clothes looking at least presentable, Minami and Katsuki were the opposites. Outside of the two banquets, Viktor had only seen Katsuki wearing something overly hideous. A common outfit for him would be something like patterned sweaters and dirty, torn shorts that looked like they came from a thrift shop. He just looked homeless most of the time. Minami sort of looked like he tried harder than Katsuki, but that wasn’t saying much. He frequently had too many layers on with plenty of holes in each one. The two looked atrocious on a normal day. Yesterday and this morning they had been wearing normal clothes, a t-shirt and shorts or something, but right now they looked entirely different.

Apparently they weren’t fashionably challenged, they just hadn’t given a fuck before. Minami was wearing a yellow shirt that was way too big on him, the neck hole was close to slipping down a shoulder. He clearly had a tank top on under, which admittedly made it look like he was wearing a bra. He was wearing baggy white capris and white sneakers. He had a heart clip in his hair and when he noticed the vampires looking he beamed happily.

While Minami looked cute, Katsuki looked fierce. He was wearing sinfully tight black skinny jeans with a loose black tank top. He had black stylish boots on and some bracelets. The most noticeable thing though was the missing glasses. Looking at his eyes though, they looked red so he probably had contacts in.

Viktor must have been staring because when he snapped out of it, Katsuki was giving him a puzzled look and Viktor’s side hurt, like someone had jabbed it too painfully. Probably Yuri.

-

Two hours of public transportation later, the small group found themselves in a busy train station, debating how to split up. A group of four was going to need a small miracle to stay together. Consequently, the debate of how they were going to split up started. Initially, Viktor suggested Yuri and himself stay together while Katsuki and Minami stayed together. Minami pointed out that wouldn’t work because if they ran into someone who didn’t speak anything but Japanese, unlikely but still possible, Viktor and Yuri would have no way of communicating. Katsuki suggested that Yuri and him stay together while Minami and Viktor paired off. Yuri shot that down with unnecessary force, stating that Viktor would look like Minami’s sugar daddy or some creepy cougar. That settled things pretty definitively, and with that they parted ways.

Katsuki stared in the direction Minami had gone before eventually looking up at Viktor, unsure how exactly he ended up in such a position. Viktor tried not to think too hard about how Katsuki actually looked decent when he wasn’t covered in mud and vampire blood, and broke the silence, “Why don’t we get going?” He suggested.

Katsuki nodded and lead the way out of the station and into the busy sidewalks. He seemed to know exactly where he was going and that only made Viktor more nervous. Carefully, Viktor reached out and grabbed Katsuki’s sleeve. The man didn’t seem to react and just continued to push through the crowd.

Eventually Katsuki got them inside of a department store of some kind. Under his breath Viktor could hear him mumbling in English, at first he was confused but then realization dawned upon him. Katsuki was making the tiniest of gestures to signs and people and must be whispering what the signs read and what people were saying.

Viktor was admittedly stunned to hear the other translating for him. He hadn’t expected Katsuki to anything of the sort. He just figured Katsuki would tell him anything he really needed to understand and leave Viktor in the dark for the rest of it. Was Katsuki being… nice?

Soon enough they reached their destination in the store. It was a fairly large section of beautiful garments and Viktor was taken back, it wasn’t what he expected. Katsuki was about to start looking for a yukata he liked when he reminded himself that Viktor had probably never been to a Japanese store before. He pulled out some paper from his pocket and started jotting some notes on it. He handed it to Viktor and explained, “This is what should indicate the size, this is the price, and if you want to try anything on, get me first, it can be a little complicated. Also, I chose this store because it has the widest selection of styles in for both genders. So there should be both styles for each pattern. If anyone gives you trouble, just wave me over, I’ll translate or deal with them.” Katsuki said simply before walking off to look for himself. Viktor furrowed his brow in confusion. Why was Katsuki being so nice? It just didn’t make any sense.

-

Yuuri sighed as he plopped himself down onto the bench next to the changing room. It had taken a bit for him to explain to Viktor how to put on a yukata, and Yuuri was almost certain the other wasn’t properly doing it. Yuuri wanted to chastise him, but he couldn’t be bother too much. Yukatas were pretty easy to tell if they fit, properly assembled or otherwise.

Yuuri drummed his fingers on the metal next to him as he thought over how his morning had gone. Minami had told him that Viktor and Yuri had intended to stay regardless before Minami left for his morning jog and to fetch some produce. Yuuri had spent the next hour preparing food to be cooked and thinking over the situation. Despite hating Viktor, it wasn’t like it was _Viktor’s_ soulmate they were looking for. Plus, Yuuri was going to have to get over his feelings eventually. The war was over. Holding grudges wouldn’t help anything.

Yuuri had to put his best foot forward. Not to mention, it was a bit unfair to say Viktor needed to prove himself trustworthy and then be as cold as ice to him. It wouldn’t give Viktor a fair shot at showing that he could be trusted. Plus, it wasn’t even certain his pack member’s soulmate was a vampire, Viktor hadn’t specified. Even if they were, didn’t Yuuri want them to have a happily ever after since he definitely couldn’t?

Consequently, he had resolved himself to giving Viktor a fair chance, if only for his pack member’s sake. His pack might as well be his family, and from how much of an impact his words made on wolves he had never even met before, Yuuri was aware his disapproval would sting any wolf. Besides, helping someone find their soulmate and then turning around and hating them for their soulmate was a dick move.

So this morning, while cooking, he called up Phichit. Phichit was Yuuri’s only friend that wasn’t a wolf. He was older than Yuuri, but Yuuri was pretty confident that Phichit wasn’t older than fifty. His friend lived in Thailand and was a water spirit. It was rare for one to be born, but Phichit was always unusual, so it fit him. They had been planning for the other to visit after the war ended, so for the first part of their conversation Yuuri used that as an excuse for why he called.

 Eventually Yuuri turned the conversation to why he had actually called, that being he needed Phichit’s advice. Despite Phichit’s best attempts at hiding it, Yuuri had long since figured out that Phichit’s soulmate was a vampire. Phichit had told him while drunk once. When Yuuri inquired to sober Phichit about it, Phichit admitted that he hadn’t actually met his soulmate yet.

Phichit had minor psychic abilities. It wasn’t uncommon for spirits to have something other than immortality ability wise. Spirits were physically similar to humans, but their heightened mental states gave away the fact they were supernatural. So when Phichit explained to Yuuri that he was definitely going to meet his soulmate soon, he just needed to wait, Yuuri believed him completely. Specifically, waiting until the war was over. Yuuri had tried to assure his friend that he would never harm Phichit’s soulmate, it to encourage the spirit to meet soon with said soulmate. Phichit stood his ground and said that he knew it would be better if he waited. Him and his soulmate had plenty of time.

Calling Phichit was to find out more regarding vampires. He knew his friend had done extensive research, and frequently talked to his soulmate about it. Plus, Phichit’s soulmate was with him right now, if Phichit didn’t have the answer to Yuuri’s question. Yuuri admittedly felt guilty that he was taking his friend’s time from his newly found soulmate, but Phichit assured him happily that it was fine. Phichit proceeded to tell Yuuri _way_ too much information about vampires. From actual blood preferences, to how to find locations that served blood, to how to know you pushed your luck too much and you should brace yourself for it to turn ugly.

When Yuuri noticed the vampires had joined him, he quickly started trying to get Phichit to go. Yuuri wasn’t exactly ready to admit that he wanted to know more about how to be polite to vampires in front of his guests.

-

Half an hour later, they were finally at the ground floor to get out of the building with their new purchases. Yuuri felt all hope of today going alright drain from him as he looked outside. It was raining. Rain and him did not mix. Sure, he loved the feeling of it but it washed off Minami’s scent most of the time since Yuuri only smelled like the teen from sleeping near him. Yuuri weighed his options. If they made a run for it, they could get to the station without anyone paying him any mind. But the two hours via train would definitely have him dry off enough to be able to pick up his scent again. Plus, it was hot today, the whole summer thing, and that meant he might sweat. He would be obvious regardless of whether or not he got wet. The humidity from the rain would make sure of it. Fuck. He would have to wait out the storm or for Minami then. Just as he was debating how to convince Viktor they needed to wait, Viktor spoke up, “Why don’t we wait out the rain at the café we passed on the second floor?”

Viktor had noticed Katsuki’s near panic. He couldn’t understand what had caused it, but maybe waiting a bit would help. At least to give the other enough time to calm down. Viktor was pretty alarmed, he had never seen the other so startled, but whatever had caused it seemed to be avoidable if they stayed inside, as Katsuki nodded vigorously in agreement.

Viktor let himself be lead upstairs and taken into the café. Once there he told Katsuki he’d go pick out a seat for them. Viktor somehow managed to get a small table by one of the numerous large windows. He waited patiently for the other to return, content to watch the rain and the sea of umbrellas outside. Soon enough Katsuki was back, setting two cups on the table, Viktor gave him a questioning look, just because he had made the exception last night did not mean he wanted normal food today, “It has a few shots of blood in it, I was able to talk the manager into making an exception.”

Viktor rose his eyebrows. He had not anticipated that. The city mostly consisted of everything but vampires. During war times enemies were banned from casually being in each other’s territories and would remain banned until permission had been granted to open the borders. The fact that the café had any blood was surprising to say the least.

Viktor picked up the cup and took a sip, humming appreciatively. He wasn’t sure what the warm drink was but the blood made it delicious. He mentally debated whether or not to press Katsuki for how he had pulled off the added blood before realizing Katsuki probably just said who he was. Wolves loved helping their leader, after all. Even if they hadn’t recognized him previously.

The species of the world lived mingling together. Humans were the most common, with numbers decreasing per supernatural species accordingly based on life span and what it took to have a child. The majority of the global population were humans, especially in crowded cities like this, but most restaurants offered some kind of flexible menu. Viktor often found it amusing most didn’t bother knowing who lead each species in the big cities. It simply didn’t matter too much for them. It was irritating, but nice to not be followed everywhere excessively.

Katsuki was watching the rain with a sad look when Viktor snapped out of his musings. Maybe ignoring the other wasn’t the politest thing to do, but what should they even talk about? So many topics would end poorly. Family? No. Friends? No. Morals? No. Opinion on the war? Super no. After debating for a few moments Viktor found himself winging it, “So are you and Minami soulmates? You two look cute together.” Personally, he thought the relationship was a conflict of interest, but it was the first topic that popped into his mind.

Katsuki tensed and slowly turned his head to look Viktor in the eyes, confusion written across his face. He couldn’t tell if Viktor was joking, after deciding the other was dead serious Katsuki found his voice, “Um, no. Definitely no.”

Viktor tried not to smack himself, judging from Katsuki’s expression he thought Viktor was flat out crazy. New topic then, um what was safer? “So, if you go out into the rain will you smell like wet dog?” Fuck, why did he say that?

Katsuki squinted at him, clearly trying to figure out what Viktor was playing at, “Not unless I ‘shift. You need fur to smell like wet dog.” Aaaah that was a stupid question. Of course he wouldn’t smell like a wet dog unless he went into his wolf form. God this was not working out for him. Katsuki looked like he was starting to find this amusing.

“You laughed yesterday about what I said about my s- my friend’s soulmate, are most omegas really that depressed to consider it useless information?” If Katsuki looked amused before, all humor was gone from his face at Viktor’s words. It was up for debate whether that was an improvement.

 Katsuki looked out the window, visibly tensing, “Yes. I have only met a handful who haven’t met their soulmates that are actually happy.” Katsuki rubbed the side of his cup, like he was fidgeting, Viktor was about to try to change the topic again when Katsuki continued, turning to look at him, “Do you really want to know how it is for them? For the sake of understanding your friend’s soulmate?”

Katsuki’s eyes were obviously considering Viktor, as though he wasn’t sure what to make of the man before him. Viktor debated with himself, risk Katsuki knowing he was more interested then he should be or pass up possibly solid information about how his soulmate’s life probably was? “Yes, I’m very close to my friend and they would appreciate the extra information.”

Katsuki starred for another moment before looking back out the window, as though lost in his own little world. “Omegas traditionally have the lowest position in society. They used to be the most common secondary-sex. When an omega and alpha had a child, the odds were in the favor of it being an omega, with the occasional alpha. Since they were so common they were looked down upon.”

Katsuki was starting to visibly relax but his voice became sorrowful, “With the push for acceptance of non-traditional pairs, omegas were born less frequently. If one parent isn’t an omega or if both parents are omegas, then there is a very slim chance of the child being one. While this made omega’s less common, the stigma was already there. Omegas tended to become the victims of hate crimes. Omega’s bodies produce hormones to help be motherly, not to fight, so they tend to be smaller and weaker. Easy targets if you will.” Katsuki’s voice was ice cold, in a way Viktor had never heard directed at anything other than himself.

“When my father became the leader, he pushed for better treatment, but the damage was already done. There is still a divide. It doesn’t help that omega pheromones tend to make betas and alphas reason go out the window.” Katsuki glanced at his drink before looking up at Viktor, his eyes pained, “Your friend better treat my pack member properly, or they won’t live to regret it.”

Viktor knew Katsuki well enough to know that wasn’t an idle threat. Viktor couldn’t help but be taken back at Katsuki’s concern though. The man sitting across from him looked like the one he had fought for years, but he seemed so different from the man he met on the battlefield. Almost like, there was more to him then Viktor knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really difficult one to write. I rewrote the second half like three times? It was so much harder than previous chapters. I even came up with an another story idea on accident while trying to think of what to put in the chapter. This chapter really tested my resolve, that's for sure. But that's not to say I'm any where near running out of ideas, I just couldn't decide exactly how I wanted the chapter to go. I really hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think, your comments make my day a thousand times over. Reading some of the reactions from last chapter got me to tear up, so yeah, I'm such a cool collected person. You guys are just the sweetest. Until next time!


	5. A Fight and a Festival

Yuri had no idea what to make of Minami. So far he had been dragged into seven stores, despite them having bought their yukatas in the first one. They didn’t even spend five minutes in any of the others. It seemed Minami was hell bent on dragging Yuri all over town. Apparently it had something to do with the city looking so different from the last time Minami was here? Yuri wasn’t entirely sure. Minami was talking too fast to keep up with. At least today he was remembering to speak in mostly English. Yuri had tuned Minami out some time ago, so he could be wrong. Since then Yuri had gotten lost in his own thoughts. Particularly in regards to what Yuri had heard from Viktor last night.

Viktor’s soulmate was on the fence, to put it nicely, about meeting him. While Yuri couldn’t blame the mystery individual about not wanting to meet Viktor, because he knew what Viktor was like, but Yuri was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it. Viktor’s soulmate didn’t know who Viktor was aside from being a vampire near Russia. It made no sense for them to refuse on that alone. Were Viktor and Yuri missing something? Were they wasting their time?

Yuri was getting tense, so he refocused his mind to his own soulmate, carefully feeling out their emotions. They were so excited right now. Cute. Before Yuri could get too enveloped in the emotion, he was pulled out of his thoughts. Minami was yanking on his sleeve about something. Yuri snapped himself out of it, “What is it? Can’t you tell I was thinking about something important, asshole?” Yuri growled out, not very happy about being stopped from feeling his soulmate’s emotions.

Minami didn’t even react to Yuri’s harsh words, to the point you could debate about whether or not he even heard Yuri, “Yuri! Look! Look! Isn’t it pretty?” Minami said, happily pointing down the path. Yuri blinked, startled that they were in a park. How long had he spaced out? Regardless, it was pretty. The path before them was lined with trees, forming an arch over the path. Minami beamed at his reaction and ran down the path slightly, pointing at a turn, “Hey come check this out!” Minami shouted to Yuri before following the turn.

Yuri rolled his eyes at Minami’s antics and took his own sweet time walking down the path, following it as Minami did. When Yuri finally got around the turn, in front of him was a dock stretching into a lake. At the end of the dock was Minami, looking around happily. Admittedly, the sight was beautiful. Yuri hadn’t exactly had a lot of time to go sightseeing during the war. Minami’s awestruck reaction only made the sight more captivating. Slowly, Yuri strolled down the dock to Minami. A little way down the dock, Minami had set his shopping bag down, probably in case they got water on them, and Yuri did the same after sliding his cell phone into his. Yuri turned to focus on the view. The sight before them was beautiful, sure, but the lake was clearly made for decoration, it was shallow.

When he reached Minami the teen watched him, trying to read Yuri’s reaction. Knowing he was being watched, Yuri pretended like he was too captivated with the sight to look at Minami. Yes, it was pretty, but not really Yuri’s cup of tea. He just hoped the sooner he seemed impressed, the sooner they could go.

Yuri was so busy trying to look impressed that when he felt a push he was completely caught off guard. By reflex, he reached out and tried to grab onto something to catch himself. Unfortunately, that was Minami. The two tumbled into the pond, causing a loud splash.

Yuri only took a second to yank himself slightly up, so his head wouldn’t be underwater. Blush spread across Yuri’s face, realizing his position. Minami was draped across him, apparently not caring that he was pressed against Yuri, laughing hard. He clung to Yuri, trying to still his laughter. Yuri ignored his embarrassment, since Minami didn’t look like he was going to get off any time soon. Yuri jerked his head around, looking for what had pushed him, when he realized that they were alone, he glanced down at Minami. Minami was wiping at his face, fucking asshole started crying from laughter, and looking up at Yuri. The intimacy of the position was lost on the teen, but as everything snapped together for Yuri, he shoved Minami off. This caused Minami to only start laughing harder, while Yuri looked at him, livid. If they were alone, that meant Minami had to have been the one who pushed him.

“What the fuck was that for?” Yuri hissed, venom dripping from his voice, giving Minami his best glare. Minami sat up properly and clearly attempted to sober himself up, despite sitting in a fucking lake.

“Revenge~” Minami sung out, beaming at Yuri, as though he had just given him a surprise present and not shoved the Russian into the lake.

In an attempt to get that stupidly happy expression off Minami’s face, Yuri splashed him with as much water as he could manage, “For not paying attention while you were talking?” Yuri hissed, irritated. Fuck Minami, getting him soaking wet was overkill for Yuri ignoring him. It wasn’t Yuri’s fault Minami wouldn’t slow down enough for Yuri to understand him.

While Minami had started giggling at the water being splashed on him, Yuri’s words made him fall silent. His face morphed into a slightly heartbroken expression, “You weren’t listening earlier?” He looked away for a moment, shoulders slumping before pulling himself together. Minami puffed out his cheeks and scowled at Yuri, “No, I didn’t realize you weren’t listening.” Minami went back to grinning, thank god, Yuri was starting to feel guilty, “It was for what you did to Yuuri-san. I can’t get properly even now, but I still wanted revenge.” Minami said, pulling himself up and brushing at his clothes.

Yuri stared blankly, partially because he was really curious as to what Minami was thinking brushing dripping wet clothes was going to do, but mostly in pure shock. Minami had to have meant the scar on Katsuki’s cheek. Yuri didn’t think he would still care about it. Katsuki clearly didn’t care. Minami shook his head vigorously to get some water out of his hair and offered Yuri his hand. Carefully, Yuri took it and allowed himself to be pulled up.

Minami must truly care about Katsuki if he still wanted to get revenge for him even if it didn’t matter. Yuri frowned, trying to figure it out. If it was him and Viktor, Yuri knows he wouldn’t care. Or, if by some miracle he did care, he would only be using revenge as an excuse to do something way worse to the offender. Not something simple like being yanked into the water. Minami hopped up on the dock, sitting on the edge happily. Yuri hopped on the edge too. At this point, Yuri realized that Minami had set his bag down further up the dock in anticipation for what was going to happen.

Yuri shot him a dirty look, “You planned this.” He paused, considering it, “I bet we’re only even at this park because you knew about the lake.” Yuri said, narrowing his eyes.

Minami just looked and gave him a cheeky grin, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe~, though I really didn’t think you’d tug me in too.” Minami glanced down at his own clothes and sighed, “Guess these are ruined.” Yuri glanced at the teen, Minami’s clothes were definitely going to be hard to clean, mainly his capris since they had mud on their knees.

-

Twenty minutes later, the pair were in the shadiest store Yuri had been in for decades.

After they had left the park, Minami had insisted they get some dry clothes. Since no stores would let them in, Minami did what he considered to be the most logical thing. Begging strangers to buy some clothes for them while standing in front of a cheap store that sold clothes. Surprisingly, it had barely taken any time before someone agreed. Admittedly, it was a group of werewolf high school girls, from what Yuri could tell. Minami didn’t seem to know them, but they were eager to get to know him. Yuri hadn’t been able to tell if the kid was dense or just that innocent because the Minami barely bated an eye at the group’s attempts to flirt with him.

Once they got the new clothes from the girls, and two towels, Minami happily thanked them, pecked one on the cheek and went on his way. When Yuri caught up to him, Minami had deflected all of Yuri’s questions before dragging him into the nearest public bathroom. The instant Yuri stepped out of the stall in the new clothes, Minami insisted that they go check out a store a little way down the street he had spotted earlier.

Which is how Yuri got here. The store was very dimly lit and had a basement vibe since there were no windows. Minami happily buzzed from shelf to shelf. Yuri rolled his eyes at the younger’s antics and found himself uncharacteristically trying to make small talk, “So why’d you brush those girls off? They were cute. Plus, Katsuki’s not around.” Yuri wasn’t entirely sold that Katsuki and Minami’s relationship was purely platonic, but he still doubted Minami would flirt with girls in front of him even if they were just friends.

Minami stopped and looked Yuri dead in the eyes, not turning his body, but making sure that Yuri knew, for at least a moment, Yuri had his undivided attention. “None of them were my soulmate, and if one of them had been, Yuuri-san being there or not wouldn’t matter to me.” Minami said before turning back to look at the books. The store seemed to be some cliché “supernatural” item store that a lot of humans ate up. Yuri had no idea why they were even here.

Yuri frowned, guess that meant Katsuki wasn’t Minami’s soulmate, “How can you be so sure they weren’t your soulmate?” He found himself asking. Knowing how werewolves identified their soulmates would probably do wonders in trying to find Viktor’s. At the very least it could possibly help rule out whether or not Viktor and his soulmate had met before.

Minami didn’t even look at Yuri this time as he responded, “Werewolves identify their soulmates mostly by scent. Especially if their soulmate is another wolf. All three of those girls were wolves and I would have been able to smell it if my soulmate was one of them. They would have known too.” Minami said simply, Yuri figured this was probably some basic information about wolves, like the whole alpha, beta, and omega thing.

Devil’s advocate he was, Yuri pressed further, “What if they had known but just didn’t say anything? Deer in the headlights style?” He said, pretending he also cared about the items on the shelves, they seemed to be in the elemental magic book section.

“Once you see a pair of wolf soulmates catch each other’s scent for the first time, you’ll understand. But in the meantime, take my word for it, its unmistakable.” Minami said, pulling a book off the shelf and leafing through it, before adding on, “On Viktor’s friend’s soulmate though, cross-species that is, I’m not sure how noticeable it is. Wolves are genetically wired to be tuned into each other. But cross-species? It’s probably a lot more complicated. Though I bet both could still feel something different about their interactions.” Minami said, biting his lip with his oddly pointed tooth in concentration as he read one of the pages.

Yuri tensed slightly, like Minami might be on to something. Yuri found himself watching the way the younger’s tooth pressed his lip. Yuri’s mind flashed to how vampires identifies soulmates. Smelling their soulmate’s blood after talking to them mentally for the first time was supposed to be otherworldly. The instant you smelled it you were supposed to know. For half a second Yuri wondered what Minami’s blood would smell like. In alarm, Yuri tried to shift the thought to taste instead. Something more natural for a vampire to consider of an acquaintance.

Very few vampires had ever had wolf blood, but those that had seemed to have wildly varying experiences. Some said it tasted like mud. Others like fruit juice. Others like tea. Yuri was so close to the other he could easily reach out and bite hi- Yuri forced his thoughts to stop. What was he? Some blood crazed child? Or a dying old man thirsty for one more savory drop that was never good enough?

Yuri hadn’t noticed how close he was to Minami until the other turned his head to look at him. With just that tiny movement, the two were so close their noses almost touched. Yuri felt his heart stop. It took everything in him not to look down as Minami bit the inside of his lips, “Did you want to read the book too?”

Minami’s childlike obliviousness snapped Yuri straight out of it. What the fuck was wrong with him? Yuri stepped back and shook his head, panicking when he realized he’d need another explanation for being so close, “I was just trying to read the book on the shelf’s name. I have bad eyesight.” What a bullshit lie, who would even beli-.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Minami said, stepping away to give Yuri room as he went back to the book in his hands. Minami kept it to himself that he knew Yuri was lying, he was sure the other had his reasons.

-

After a few more minutes of browsing, Minami bought a few too many things and they went to leave. When they opened door of the store to the rainy outside, Yuri thought something had to be wrong with the boy, Minami’s brain seemed to short circuit in front of Yuri. In a flash Minami yanked his phone out of his pocket and began furiously looking through his messages. Minami started hissing Japanese under his breath as he pressed his phone to his ear, after a few moments, the other person seemed to answer, “Yuuri! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see your texts and I was inside so I didn’t see the rain, where are you? I’ll be there as soon as physically possible.”

A few words were said from the other end. Minami hummed a few times before snapping his phone shut after a quick goodbye. He looked up at Yuri and took a small, calming breath. “I’m going to go fast, try to keep up, getting lost here in the rain is a nightmare.”

In the next moment Minami was outside, his two bags tightly grasped in his hand, rolled over at the top like a lunch bag. Yuri had to give it to the kid, he was fast alright. The teen weaved himself through the crowd easily, only glancing back occasionally to make sure Yuri was still following him.

They were going pretty fast, so Yuri was hardly surprised when a few minutes later Minami dashed into a department store. The entrance area was quite large and thankfully tiled, the interior was designed to have numerous little stores, like a skyscraper shaped mall. Minami wiped his head left to right before his eyes locked on Katsuki, launching himself into his mentor’s arms.

“Yuuri! Oh my god I am so sorry! I didn’t think it would rain until later. I can’t believe I spaced it, fuck I am so so sorry. I wouldn’t have left your side if I knew it was going to rain. I promise it won’t ha-“ Yuuri cut Minami off at this point, smiling gently.

“Minami, it’s fine, really. This is what, the first time we’ve went out apart from each other in how many years? I didn’t think of it either, nothing bad happened. It’s okay. Viktor and I just killed some time at the café upstairs until I got your call.” Minami buried his face into his mentor’s neck, as a gesture of pure relief. If something bad had happened to Yuuri, and Minami could have prevented it… He could never live with himself.

Despite the two wolves being in their own little worlds, Viktor and Yuri had inched together and were talking amongst themselves, “They’re not soulmates apparently, but the only time I’ve seen someone get comforted like that was when they _were_ soulmates.” Viktor said in a conspirator voice to Yuri, doing his best to keep his voice low enough so neither wolf overheard them.

“That’s what Minami implied too. I just feel like we’re missing something here.” Yuri whispered back, uncertain just what was going on. Why couldn’t Katsuki be in the rain without Minami? He had seen both separated in the rain multiple times in the past. But it was on the battle field. What made the city any different?

-

Compared to the rest of the day, the evening was nearly boring. Nearly only being included because the closer Minami got to Yuuri, the more alarmed the vampires looked. If the pair weren’t soulmates, was it really necessary to be so close?

Once they all arrived home, Minami excused himself to do some chores Yuuri asked him to do. The vampires appeared to go to their respective rooms, and Yuuri decided he’d make sure he hadn’t missed much while he was gone in his office.

Apparently he had, the messages he had left yesterday had apparently caused quite a stir. That, honestly, wasn’t surprising. Yuuri knew how it had sounded. The leader of the pack suddenly looking for an omega who hadn’t met their soulmate yet? Conveniently right after the war ended? As though concerned for their safety? As Yuuri mindlessly returned calls, he froze. Something about that thought process clicked in his mind.

Looking for an omega. Right after the war. Right after Yuuri’s first heat. The one that would imply to his soulmate that he was a werewolf. As though… was Viktor’s friend Yuuri’s soulmate? It would make a lot of sense. The time lines lined up. The thought sent a spike of dread through Yuuri. He had to find out. Was it just a coincidence? No? Yes?

The thoughts slotted together in Yuuri’s mind, one thing leading to another. Was it a coincidence? Fuck… what were the odds of a vampire who lived near Russia and had an omega wolf soulmate that they hadn’t met yet not knowing Viktor? And the odds that there was another vampire who knew Viktor who also had an omega wolf soulmate that they hadn’t met yet? Yuuri leaned back into his chair. There was no way… but it made sense. Honestly, Yuuri had never even heard about a wolf and vampire soulmate pair before.

Yuuri felt his blood run cold and he forced himself to breath before he could properly panic. Part of him wanted to argue the odds, but he knew the odds were more in favor of it than against. But just what was he supposed to do? All Yuuri had to do was take a leap of faith, and he would find his soulmate. But… did he want to?

-

The next few days until the festival were not what anyone had anticipated. The days passed slowly, as though time wanted to slow. Viktor couldn’t tell if it was just because there was no war causing hell around them, or if it was because there was something genuinely off. Viktor rarely saw Katsuki, often only passing him in the hallway. Viktor would debate about whether or not the wolf was actually doing anything except hiding, but every time he saw Katsuki there were dark bags under his eyes.

You would expect Minami to keep things lively, but then you’d be forgetting that Minami constantly thought of Katsuki’s wellbeing. Consequently, the house felt dead. Even to the vampires. Yuri spent most of his time sulking, apparently his soulmate was in a rut too. Yuri didn’t want to shut off the connection though, in case his soulmate needed him.

Viktor never thought he’d think it, but he wished Katsuki and Minami would cheer up, then maybe things would be less dead. If only.

Before long, it was the day before the festival. Through no small amount of effort, Minami had decided to get them all together for dinner. “Okay, so I got Yuko to make us some food, so eat up!” Minami said cheerfully, pushing Katsuki into a seat. Yuri and Viktor were already there, Minami had insisted they come and if the house hadn’t felt so dead, they might have refused. The bowls in front of them appeared to be filled with some kind of ramen.

Minami sat down and ushered them to start eating as well. Viktor was the brave one this time, and took a small bite, prepared to have to force himself to swallow. Yuri was watching his reaction, after Viktor swallowed he smiled slightly, “Yummy, thank you for getting this so we can all eat together Minami.” Yuri knew that was code for: eat the damn food Yuri.

Viktor normally wouldn’t have bothered to humor Minami, but with how on edge Katsuki seemed, he wanted to make sure at least one of them didn’t want to kill him. Yuri slowly started eating, humming in appreciation. Minami took that as good enough and started chowing down. Oddly enough, Katsuki was barely touching his food. Minami seemed to be disappointed so he nudged Katsuki with his foot from his spot across from his mentor.

Katsuki didn’t look up, just stirred his bowl with his chopsticks. Minami sighed, drawing himself together before speaking, “Just eat already, damnit. I begged Yuko to make this for you. You’ll starve to death at this rate.” His voice oozed of barely contained rage.

Katsuki barely seemed to pay the tone any mind, “Good.” He mumbled, if any of them didn’t have enhanced hearing, they might not have been able to hear it. Viktor’s eyes widened and Yuri froze. That was not the response they had expected. Sure, they didn’t know Katsuki much, but suicidal tendencies? That was definitely a new one.

Minami stood up, letting his chair fall back behind him, “What the hell Yuuri? You can’t stay things like that!” Yuri looked between the two wolves, slightly impressed with Minami’s gall. Viktor looked alarmed though, half tempted to grab Yuri and book it. While, as a friend, Minami had the right to tell Katsuki how he felt though, from Viktor’s experience, wolf leaders didn’t take kindly to doing what they’re told. Minami continued, his voice escalating into hysterics, “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?! I’ve been with you through everything, but I can’t bear to see you like this!”

Katsuki took a split second to react before he was on his feet as well, switching to Japanese, making what he said completely incomprehensible to the vampires, _“I don’t want to talk about it! I can handle this on my own. I never asked you to care.”_ The end was clearly a hiss, filled with anger. As realization dawned on Viktor and Yuri that a full-fledged screaming fight was about to take place, both wanted to bolt. The anger in the room kept them rooted in their seats though.

 _“Well I do so get over it! You clearly can’t handle this on your own! Look at you, you’re borderline rotting! What’s happened to you Yuuri? Don’t make me lose you after all that we’ve been through together!”_ Great, Minami was shouting in Japanese too. And he was crying? He sounded heartbroken. Yuri was alarmed to realize that he just wanted to comfort the teen. It came out of nowhere, and Yuri nearly left just to avoid thinking about it. But he was also worried that this would turn physical, and if it did, someone would have to step in.

 _“Damnit Minami!”_ Katsuki hesitated, looking slightly uncomfortable before rushing onward, _“They’re looking for me, okay?! I’m Viktor’s friend’s soulmate! I know I am! Happy?!”_ Was Katsuki crying? He looked like he was close to it at the very least. Close and terrified about his own words.

Viktor and Yuri’s eyes slid to Minami, wondering how the teen would react. He looked stunned then horrified then guilty then confused. To both vampire’s surprise, Minami looked at them for a moment, seeming to consider them each, before looking back at Katsuki, _“Are you sure?”_ His voice was much calmer, in a forced way though. He sounded hesitant. Like he was afraid of the answer.

 _“Yes. M-my soulmate is a vampire. In Russia. They just found out that I was a wolf and an omega during my heat. The timing is too coincidental for anything else.”_ Katsuki looked flat out defeated, alarmingly enough, wiping at his eyes, as though frustrated with his own emotions.

Minami slowly, visibly processed the information, before his whirlwind of emotions caught back up to him and he was angry again, _“Why are you upset than? Don’t you want to meet your soulmate? Live happily ever after, after the hell you’ve been through?”_ Minami looked skeptical, distrusting. His tone oozed irritation, as though he couldn’t quite agree with or understand what Katsuki was telling him.

Katsuki met Minami’s stare with hard, calm eyes, _“I_ don’t _want to meet my soulmate. They deserve better than this, than me.”_ Katsuki made a gesture to himself, not relaxing or faltering in his near-emotionless stare.

Minami looked appalled, even more so than earlier, _“Don’t be difficult! Anyone would be lucky to have you! You should meet your soulmate!”_ Minami near yelled at Katsuki. Katsuki stared blankly, before his face morphed into rage, hurt, and heartbroken rage.

“Stay the fuck out of it Minami! If you have a problem with me, then I’m not forcing you to stay! Get lost!” Katsuki had switched to English, heaven knows why, and with that he stood, slamming his chopsticks onto the table. He didn’t even glance back as he stormed out of the room. The room was deadly silent, Yuri and Viktor both watching where Katsuki had exited.

They knew wolf apprentices, if not biological heirs, were rarely even considered legitimate students of pack leaders, but they figured Minami and Katsuki had a stronger bond than that. Slowly they looked over at the frozen teen. Viktor averted his eyes instantly. Yuri stared in horror. The teen was shaking, drawing in on himself as tears started sliding down his cheeks. It was as though you could see his heart breaking.

His legs wobbled and in the next second he was falling, thank the heavens Yuri had been seated next to him so Minami wouldn’t hit something as he fell. Yuri let himself fall to the floor with the other. Minami was beside himself, clinging tightly to Yuri’s shirt as he broke into further, loud hysterics. His tiny body trembled violently. Yuri held the teen oozing fluids tightly to his chest. He couldn’t believe that he had just seen all that. Yuri almost felt like he was feeling all of Minami’s heartbreak. Tears pricked his eyes as he rubbed Minami’s back awkwardly.

Too caught up with themselves, neither realized that they weren’t picking up on the atmosphere’s emotions, but rather feeling each other’s through their link.

-

Hours later, Yuri sighed, unsure of how he had found himself here. Minami was curled up around him in bed. The teen was nearly naked, but Yuri had stayed fully clothed. Once Minami’s hysterics had slowed slightly, Yuri had tried to talk the teen into sleeping. He heard it helped people who could sleep. Minami then, after some more crying, informed him that he and Katsuki slept in the same bed, so he couldn’t. Yuri countered that Minami could sleep on the couch. Minami broke down _again_ , where did this stamina come from anyway? Regardless, Minami informed him he wouldn’t be able to sleep alone. Viktor had left long ago by then, so Yuri has begrudgingly said he would stay with Minami until he fell asleep.

Yuri had not anticipated the teen stripping near nude and wrapping himself around Yuri. Minami only offered the explanation that it was how Katsuki and him slept. Yuri watched the teens peaceful, sleeping face. There were still dried tears on his face, his eyes were puffy, and his hair was a mess, but he still somehow managed to look endearing. Yuri watched the rise and fall of Minami’s chest, finding it soothing as he drifted off to sleep.

-

When Yuri woke up, Minami was tugging at his sleeve, looking up at him with big, sleepy brown eyes. Yuri, still dazed, mumbled barely coherently, “What is it?” He felt like he was forgetting something, but somehow couldn’t be bothered with it.

Minami pouted, “I’m hungry, will you come with me downstairs to get breakfast? Er, lunch by now I think.” Minami said, looking towards the window. Sure enough, through the closed curtains, light was peeking through. Yuri found himself nodding, sleepily, as Minami gave him his most blinding smile. In the next instant, Minami was getting dressed, chattering away like his old self. Yuri could tell Minami’s words were half-hearted though.

Yuri nodded weakly, trying to snap his brain out of the drowsi- Wait, what?! That woke Yuri up. Had he been asleep?! Yuri nearly started having a heart attack. Was that what sleep was? Unintentional unconsciousness for an indefinite period of time and coming to with a hazy brain and lack of mental functions?? That was horrifying. While it was admittedly very enjoyable, Yuri definitely did _not_ want that to happen again. He hated not having control. As he slowly calmed his inner panic, Yuri’s brain started spilling its wheels.

Why had he fallen asleep? He had never in his entire life slept before. Not when he was having difficulty maintaining consciousness after an injury. Not when he was a child. Not even when he barely had the energy to breath. What had caused him to sleep last night? What was the new variable? As if on que, Minami waved his hand in front of Yuri’s face, “Are you in there?” He asked, tilting his head in concern.

Minami had been with him. But was it simply the proximately of someone sleeping near him, or was it specifically Minami?

-

The next few hours passed in a blur. Minami made sure of that. He felt rested and energized. Heartbroken. But energized. He wasn’t entirely sure how serious Yuuri had been yesterday. He hoped it had been a heat of the moment thing. The thought was also encouraged by the note he found in the kitchen. It was from Yuuri, saying he wasn’t going to be home until early tomorrow morning.

Minami was disappointed that Yuuri and him wouldn’t get a chance to make up, or figure out what happens next, before the festival or the staff got back. Minami couldn’t bear to linger on the thought though because if it didn’t go well, he knew the festival would be ruined. So, he was just going to let the procrastination happen.

Minami had his work cut out for him trying to get the vampires to agree that they should still go to the festival. Sweetly enough, Viktor had asked if Minami wanted him to go bring Yuuri back. Minami had turned down the offer. If Yuuri was taken back here before he wanted to, it would go from bad to catastrophic. Yuuri could act happy and normal, but Minami knew him well enough to know that Yuuri would be faking his emotions. It was like Yuuri didn’t think he could see through the illusion. That was enough to make Minami rather not see it. The thought that Yuuri didn’t think they were close enough for Minami to know a fake smile could tear Minami apart in an instant.

Regardless, come six, Minami was forcing his guests into yukatas. After making sure everyone knew how to put them on, he left the pair, changing into his own yukata in the bathroom. Once done he started fidgeting and making sure he had everything he needed as he waited by the front door. Shoes? Check. Phone on silent? Check. Money? Check. Best frie- not check. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. He felt panic start to grip him, but when he heard Yuri’s door open from upstairs, he forced it down, waiting for the vampire to join him.

When Yuri came down, he looked uncomfortable and unhappy. He had put the yukata on correctly, but even despite it being a men’s yukata, he still looked feminine. He had his hair styled so part of it was pulled into a small pony tail. It looked good, but the hair that remained framed his face. The yukata was simple enough, dark blue with tiny red and gold flowers. He looked amazing. Minami felt his face heating.

Yuri scoffed at him, “You look like a guy in anime when he sees the love interest cleaned up for the first time.” Minami shrugged, he would have been more offended if Yuri wasn’t blushing too. Viktor came down the stairs a few moments later. Odd, Minami hadn’t heard another door open.

-

Soon enough the trio, Minami internally cried at that, found themselves at the festival. Viktor had to admit that it was beautiful. In a quaint sort of way. There were people bustling about and the smell of food drifted through the air. There was laughter and happy chattering swirling around as well. Viktor couldn’t help but wonder what his soulmate would think if they were with him.

Yes, even after being nearly rejected, Viktor still thought too much of them. If anything, it made him more curious and desperate to find them. They hadn’t told him to not find them, so Viktor was taking that as a knock-yourself-out encouragement. He found himself even smiling slightly as Minami pulled them to a few different booths, getting some food, buying a good luck charm, and playing a game. Viktor smiled softly to himself, the teen was endearing. Even if Viktor mostly liked being with the teen because it was hilarious watching Yuri try to hide his growing fondness for Minami.

Viktor wasn’t entirely sure why Yuri was actually warming up so quickly, but it was fun to watch at the very least. After losing at another game, that of course Yuri and Viktor both offered to beat for Minami, Minami dragged them to look around some more. Viktor frowned, glancing backwards, they were being followed. Carefully he leaned forward and whispered so the other two could hear him, “We’re being followed, but I think it’s a child?”

There were three small children following them, were they just weird or was it something dangerous? Viktor wasn’t sure, but who sent children to follow two of the most dangerous vampires in the world and the right hand, or former right hand, of the wolf leader’s? Minami kept walking and whispered back, “A child? Or multiple?”

Oddly specific question, but Viktor responded none the less, “Either one with changing hair, or three nearly identical kids.” Viktor said solemnly. Minami seemed to know who they were then. Viktor tensed, immediately worried if a fight was going to break out in the crowded street. Were the kids known assassins? Were they actually some type of immortal supernatural being using their small forms to get their victims to lower their guards?

Minami stopped at Viktor’s words, causing Yuri to walk into the wolf and panic as he put some distance between Minami and himself. Minami seemed to take a breath and relax, bracing himself for the next part. In an instant, Minami spun on his heel and yelled out, “Axel, Lutz, Loop! Get out here right now or even if it’s the last thing I do I’ll show Yuuri those videos you posted of him!”

Soon enough, three children dragged themselves in front of Minami, looking defeated. Numerous people around them were giving them irritated looks, probably because of Minami’s yelling. The three fidgeted, not meeting Minami’s eyes. After a moment, the girl with two pigtails piped up, “That’s not fair Minami-san. You promised you wouldn’t tell him.” She said, giving Minami a glare.

Minami rolled his eyes, “That was before you guys decided to stalk me, so what’s up? I didn’t think your mom would let you guys out and about without her.” He said, carefully considering the three. Viktor and Yuri were completely lost, who were these kids? And why did they post videos of Katsuki? Also where were these videos? What were they of? Okay, the last two questions were definitely solely Viktor’s, but still. He would get blackmail where he could take it.

The trio looked to each other, as though debating collectively how to respond, after a moment or two they nodded. “Oh look its Minami Ken-!” Minami had lunged for them at this point, not wanting them to scream that he was here in the middle of the festival. Lunging was a big mistake because the three bolted in separate directions. Minami literally fell face first onto the ground. Viktor found himself laughing, the fearsome right-hand of Katsuki’s couldn’t catch children.

Minami huffed and stood back up, wiping at his clothes. He was grumbling under his breath when a blur rushed passed Yuri and Viktor and grabbed Minami from behind. Fuck that was fast, who in the world could move so fast that Yuri and him couldn’t see the-? Grabbing wasn’t the right word. Hugging was better. It was Katsuki. He wasn’t wearing his yukata, but rather a t-shirt of some kind and shorts. Viktor was surprised to realize Katsuki smelled different and that he could notice it. Katsuki smelled really good actua- not the point. Focus on the situation at hand Viktor.

Minami froze, taking a moment to register who was holding on to him. “Yuuri?” His voice cracked part way through Katsuki’s name. Katsuki nodded against the back of Minami’s head, clinging tightly, before his grip loosened. He turned Minami around so that they were facing each other. Since Katsuki’s back was to Viktor, the vampire had to focus on Katsuki’s voice and Minami’s reactions to judge what exactly Katsuki’s expression was. Minami was starting to cry at this point, but he was clearly trying to keep it together in front of Katsuki.

“Minami, I am so fucking sorry. There is no explanation I can give you that justifies what I said. Please, forgive me, you are my best friend. I love you, and I never want you to leave. At least, not because we’re fighting. I’m so so so sorry that I said all of that. I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you.” Katsuki was visibly trembling, and Viktor would be surprised if he wasn’t crying judging from his tone.

Minami seemed shocked to the core. He reached forward and pressed his and Katsuki’s foreheads together. The teen switched to Japanese, his voice tender, _“Just being here with me is good enough. I love you too. I would never leave you unless you sent me away._ ”

The two seemed to be lost in themselves, holding each other tightly, completely ignoring their surroundings. Viktor felt a pang of jealousy. They genuinely cared about each other.

-

Hours later, Yuuri was dragging Minami up the hill, happily chattering away. Minami and Yuuri’s eyes were still puffy, they had started crying multiple times since the apology, but it was okay. Minami was happy, and that was all that mattered.

Yuuri had explained that he recruited Yuko’s triplets to help him find Minami in the crowd. Yuuri was also curious about the videos Minami had yelled about, but since Minami seemed to clam up at the mention of them, Yuuri let it go. Yuuri had then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening buying Minami anything he asked for and winning as many prizes as he could for the teen. Partially because Yuuri still felt bad, but mostly because he had planned on doing so at the festival before the fight. Yuuri even avoided getting close to Minami, wanting to make sure the teen knew he had come back because he cared about Minami. Not because Minami was the only one who knew about him being an omega or because Minami’s scent hid his most of the time. Yuuri had come back because he couldn’t live with himself knowing how he had hurt Minami.

Yuuri even ignored the looks he got in the crowd and from Viktor. The Viktor part confused him, because Yuri wasn’t looking at him like that. If Yuuri didn’t know any better, he would think Viktor could tell he smelled significantly different. Yuuri smelled more like an omega then he had in years. Sure, he had slept in his and Minami’s bed but without the teen, it did little to hide his scent. Thank the heavens no one knew him here enough to figure it out. While normally if he smelled slightly of omega it would be written off as having been with one sexually or near one recently, smelling this much like one gave away plainly he probably was an omega. It was more than a little horrifying for Yuuri. He had still showered with scent erasering soap, but he had been careless this morning. He didn’t get enough on him to hide his scent without Minami’s presence.

Eventually the group reached the top of the hill and Yuuri was pulled from his thoughts. It was a perfect spot. He spread out the blanket they had bought and plopped down on it. He found himself relaxing as he breathed in the night air, it was lovely. He leaned back so his head was in Minami’s lap once the teen was seated behind him. He looked up into Minami’s surprised face and did his best Minami interpretation, “How am I supposed to enjoy the fireworks with you if you’re back there?”

Minami chuckled and simply shook his head, looking up at the sky, the first fireworks starting to go off. Yuuri relaxed and watched them as well. He always had wanted to see the fireworks with Minami. Somehow, even with two of Yuuri’s oldest enemies here, he felt safe. Despite it all, this felt right. If Yuuri was being honest, he could really get used to this.


	6. Trips and Electronics

The next morning Katsuki managed to gather everyone in a very simple way. He locked the fridge and freezer shut. Then, he waited for everyone to get hungry. It worked surprisingly fast. Once everyone was gathered, he started to prepare a breakfast for them, despite Yuri’s and Minami’s protests. Viktor would have protested too if he thought it would help their case.

Regardless, as Katsuki cooked he started talking, apparently he had to tell them something he deemed important. “I have told the staff to take another two months off. They did not take this job anticipating having to interact with vampires, especially you too. It wouldn’t be fair to ask them to come back right now.” He said this in such a nonchalant way, Viktor nearly forgot to be offended.

“What? What’s wrong with us? Aside from the whole vampire thing?” Viktor pouted, kind of upset over the whole delayed breakfast thing also. He wasn’t entirely sure why messing with breakfast was necessary for an announcement.

Katsuki shook his head, looking at Viktor with a dismayed, amused expression. “You do realize most wolves hate you guys? Minami and I aren’t the exceptions, we’re part of the rule. The whole war thing puts a damper on opinions of you two.” He said before turning back and continuing to cook, “If everyone came back while you both are here, you’d have to deal with a lot of assassination attempts. I figured you both would rather avoid that.”

Viktor shrugged and went back to sipping at his drink, his attention slowly dragged to Minami who looked deep in thought. He seemed to be trying to decide something. When he made up his mind, he turned backwards in his seat to look at Katsuki, “Yuuri-san, if no wolves are going to be here… would it be okay if I left for a bit?”

Viktor and Yuri’s eyes went wide in unison. Minami leaving Katsuki’s side while both vampires were still here? Was Minami so confident with Katsuki’s abilities that he was fine leaving the other alone with them? Slowly, both vampires looked over at Katsuki, waiting for the other’s reaction. There were a few moments of silence before he responded, “Who would you go visit?”

Minami visibly relaxed and started explaining, “Well I haven’t gotten to see Leo and Guang Hong since they got married and I haven’t wished Leo happy birthday yet. And I wanted to visit Sara, she seems quite distressed in her emails.” Minami paused before continuing, “I would only be gone for about a week. I’ll definitely be back before your friend comes. Promise.” Minami said with a smile and tilting his head.

Katsuki hummed as he started to scoop the food from the pans, “Alright, that’ll be fine. Though, you don’t have to be back before Phichit comes. I’m sure if I needed to go somewhere he could figure something out.” Katsuki said with a shrug. The man continued to bustle around the kitchen, setting some plates in the center of the table with the food in serving dishes. He got two more glasses of blood for Viktor and Yuri and set one in front of each of them. Katsuki then sat down himself, and looked at Viktor and Yuri, “My friend Phichit and his soulmate are coming in a little over a week. Phichit is a water spirit and he hasn’t told me about his soulmate yet in depth. They will be staying here, so I’ll have to set up another guest room. If you bother either of them I’ll slit your throats and watch you bleed out, `kay?”

Katsuki’s voice was so cheerful that Viktor nearly did a double take at his words. Well, he was Katsuki Viktor supposed. Viktor nodded and started sipping on his drink as Minami spoke up again, “I’ll probably leave tonight than.” He said before taking a large bite of food, humming happily.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “You never waste time.” He said with a warm fondness in his voice.

Minami quickly wolfed, no pun intended, down the rest of his food and stood up, “I’m gonna go packm, thanks for breakfast!” He said before exiting quickly. As Viktor watched Minami leave, he couldn’t help but notice Yuri pouting.

In an attempt to cheer the younger up out of his sudden, mysterious misery, Viktor spoke, “You could go on a trip too, I’m sure your grandfather would love to see you.”  Viktor figured Yuri was sulking about not being able to leave like Minami could. Since Viktor knew how much Yuri hated staying still, he figured this was the best solution.

Yuri blinked a few times, seeming to snap himself out of it and looking up at Viktor, “Really?” His eyes were distrustful and his tone cautious. He didn’t believe Viktor. Normally Viktor would be offended, but in all honesty Yuri had enough reason to be weary.

Viktor nodded, “If Minami’s gone, it would be an even balance in Katsuki and I were the only ones here. I’m fine with you leaving. I know you’ve been wanting to visit your grandfather for a while anyway. I’m sure he’d love to see you.” Viktor said with a happy smile at the younger. Yuri frowned and seemed to debate it, before nodding.

“Okay, I’m gonna go call and ask if it’s okay if I visit.” Yuri said firmly, in the next second he was chugging his glass of blood. Once finished, he wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand and took off upstairs.

Viktor happily watched Yuri go, before looking over at Katsuki. Katsuki was watching him with a calculating expression, like he was trying to figure Viktor out.

-

Around noon the following morning, Viktor finally dragged himself downstairs. He felt exhausted, just what was his soulmate doing? Sure, _Viktor_ had been out until two with Katsuki seeing their students off, but that didn’t explain why the hell his soulmate was making him tired. As Viktor trudged his way to the kitchen to grab a pack of blood, he nearly screeched when Katsuki spoke up from behind him. The man was sitting at the table and Viktor hadn’t even noticed Katsuki before he spoke. There was nothing in front of the wolf, so Viktor was tempted to guess that Katsuki had been waiting for him.

“Do you want to go to the store with me? I’m not going to go out again until Minami gets back and your lack of Japanese might make going out by yourself difficult.” Despite the even voice, Katsuki looked half dead. He looked as tired as he had before the festival, but worse somehow. Viktor wondered if it was because of Minami’s absence.

“Um, sure? I mean, I don’t really understand why you seem to only go out with Minami, but I will need some things before the end of the week.” Viktor said, tearing open a pack and starting to sip on it, expecting some kind of explanation about Katsuki only going out with Minami, but receiving none.

-

Two hours later the pair was walking down the street in silence. They had taken a train to get to the city they were in, but it was definitely not the same one that they visited to get their yukatas. This city was much calmer and it was much cooler. Katsuki seemed surprisingly relaxed by this point. He wasn’t talking, but Viktor knew it would be probably a bad sign if he was rambling.

After a few more stores, they finally ended up at a grocery store. They had already gotten some blood and anything else they could need aside from food. Viktor figured if he was going to ask the question that had been bugging him earlier, now was the time, “So why don’t you like being without Minami so much? I mean, I get being friends, but you wouldn’t even go into the rain without him last week.”

Katsuki tensed and said nothing. Viktor was half tempted to think that he was being ignored but then Katsuki spoke up, “I have a very distinct scent to most wolves. It kind of draws people in. I stick out, but Minami’s scent hides mine pretty thoroughly. Only other wolves pick up on my normal scent, so since the staff wasn’t coming back there was no worries if Minami isn’t with me for a bit.” Katsuki paused, glancing at Viktor, “I still smell like him right now since he just left, but after today, I’ll be back to being obvious again most likely.”

Katsuki didn’t elaborate further, which was fine because Viktor was lost in his thoughts. He recalled the information Yuri had told him about wolf soulmates. That must be difficult for Katsuki, having to knowingly lower his chances of meeting his soulmate just to stay undetected by people only interested in his scent. Viktor got distracted before he could think too hard about it, though, when he remembered that on the night of the festival Katsuki smelled amazing. Just what was that?

-

Viktor was lounging in the library the next day, having given up on avoiding the place. He was reading a book, but wasn’t really paying attention to the words. Should he try to talk to his soulmate again? Should he ask Katsuki if he had found them? Should Viktor pretend his “friend” had given him more information to start the conversation? What would he even say his friend found out?

Viktor was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn’t notice Katsuki enter the room and starting to read a book as well. When Viktor did notice Katsuki, he couldn’t help but chuckle at how dismayed the other looked, “What’s the book about?” Viktor asked, trying for small talk.

Katsuki glanced at him and set the book aside, “I have absolutely no idea. I can’t read Romanian very well.” He said glaring at the book for a moment before looking up at Viktor, who was watching him with a contemplative expression.

“Why are you trying to read a book in a language you aren’t familiar with?” Viktor knew Katsuki had a tendency to do things Viktor thought were idiotic, like starting a war with no tangible goal, but he didn’t think that stretched to Katsuki’s free time. Maybe Katsuki was just masochistic?

Katsuki sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at the ceiling, “Well, to be honest I hoped it would be fun. I don’t actually have any hobbies other than reading. But since reading in languages I know well keep boring me, I figured I’d try languages I’m not very good at.” Katsuki mused, throwing his head back and sighing heavily. Apparently Katsuki is either more confident than ever or likes to tempt the devil because his throat was very vulnerable in that position.

At that point, Viktor got utterly lost staring. He hadn’t had fresh blood in two years now, going on three. Even despite the rumors Viktor had heard about wolf blood, something in him wanted to taste Katsuki’s. Especially with Katsuki’s throat bared like that. Maybe it was also a bit of a turn on, the notion of someone being so relaxed with him that they would so casually bare their throat like that.

Viktor stopped himself there, Katsuki wasn’t paying any attention to his actions and Viktor knew it. He wasn’t about to take a bite of Katsuki when the wolf had only been generous to him the past week. Viktor cleared his throat, snapping Katsuki out of it, who yanked his head forward, blush spreading on his cheeks. He apparently realized what he had just been doing. Viktor hadn’t seen Katsuki blush before and Viktor couldn’t help but think about how nice the blush looked on Katsuki. “You don’t have any other hobbies?” Viktor heard himself saying skeptically. How could someone be twenty-two with no hobbies?

Katsuki looked away and nodded, “I haven’t exactly had much free time since I was, I dunno… twelve? So like for the past ten years.” He said, mentally calculating it. He looked uncertain at first but he ended up nodding in certainty. Katsuki didn’t even seem overly concerned with the fact that he just admitted to having little to no free time for the majority of his memory.

Viktor rose an eyebrow in confusion. He knew he had bad memory, but it didn’t add up for him, “Why twelve? I thought the war started when you were fifteen? Unless my math is off or I’m remembering incorrectly.”

Katsuki nodded, “Yes, the war did start when I was fifteen, and I already knew how to fight. I was pretty talented when I was younger, but even I wasn’t so bold to think I could take someone two millennia my senior in a fight without proper training.” He said with a small chuckle, as though it amused him that Viktor thought that he hadn’t trained for the banquet all those years ago.

Viktor blinked and stared. Katsuki didn’t have any hobbies because he hadn’t had any real amount of free time since he was twelve? Viktor felt the familiar horror only Katsuki caused him. Katsuki was so young. Viktor could barely grasp the man before him. By five Katsuki had lost both his parents. By twelve he had lost his youth. By twenty-two… Viktor felt a tug in his chest. Katsuki was young. He deserved to be normal. Despite how little fondness for the other Viktor had, Viktor still couldn’t bear to think that this man sitting before him had had so much happen to him already and was left with so little.

Katsuki was staring at Viktor, looking concerned with the other’s silence, Viktor sighed and spoke, setting his own book down. “We’re going to get you some hobbies. Come on.” He said, standing abruptly. He wasn’t entirely sure what they would do, but he’d be damned if he wallowed in this feeling much longer. Viktor didn’t watch to see if Katsuki followed him downstairs, but he did hear Katsuki follow.

When they got down, Viktor started looking around. If Viktor recalled correctly, Minami had told him about something that might be useful. Viktor started opening door after door, searching for it. Minami had told him that he had bought Katsuki some electronics a few months ago that he never even opened. Minami had no idea how to use them so he hadn’t been too hurt. But if Viktor knew anything about electronics, they were at least interesting enough to start with.

After a few minutes of opening at least a dozen closets he opened a door and froze. It was a set of stairs leading into the darkness, must be the basement. That wasn’t why he froze though. The smell. It was heavenly. And familiar. But mostly heavenly. He didn’t even feel himself starting to move. He only snapped out of it when the door in front of him slammed shut, causing the scent to disappear. Viktor blinked a few times, giving Katsuki a confused look, “What was that for?”

Katsuki looked slightly alarmed and he had a blush dusting his cheeks. Odd. “Whatever you’re looking for its not down there, there’s only the laundry and washer and dryer.” Viktor starred before nodding and continuing to look elsewhere. He’d investigate later, if he didn’t forget about it. Viktor was going to forget though.

Eventually Viktor found the right closet. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of boxes and boxes of what must have costed thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics. In the back of his mind, Viktor recalled that Minami admitted that some had been gifts. He had only given them to Katsuki because he had been trying to cheer the him up. Afterwards Minami hadn’t had the heart to return them. Viktor smiled triumphantly and pointed into the closet, “Let’s bust these bad boys out!”

-

Hours later, Viktor was not disappointed with the progress they had made. They had pushed the furniture away from the middle of the living room and had proceeded to pull out the boxes. Viktor scoffed. Half of the things were utterly useless. Viktor had at first been confused when he tried setting up a VCR and it wouldn’t take the tape. After a lot of working, he managed to get the tape in and when he hit play the room filled with horrifying loud clunking sounds.

Most of the boxes were filled with similarly working electronics. An old box TV that couldn’t make the image in color. A few radios that seemed to be too static-y to produce any intelligible sound. That was mildly horrifying. A laptop that was virus ridden. That wasn’t much fun figuring out, considering the virus made the screen fill with porn pop-ups every time you clicked. There were a few cell phones of varying ages that either didn’t work or had very confusing messages on them.

At some point, it became less frustrating and more amusing. The frustration and the exasperation Viktor had somehow seemed to melt Katsuki’s tension. He even started joking with Viktor. Apparently this was par for the course for Minami. Minami apparently had a tendency to take anything anyone gave him. From random boxes with squirrels in them to flat out accepting small animals.

Viktor was oddly amused with Katsuki’s stories. It was so odd to hear Katsuki’s voice filled with fondness as he watched Viktor try to get another random VCR to work. Eventually Viktor became aware of the time, wolves did need sleep after all. “Do you want to get some food? You don’t have to stay and watch, I’m starting to think none of these are going to work.”

Katsuki seemed to debate it for a few minutes before nodding, “I’ll be back soon.” He said before walking off to the kitchen. Ten minutes later Katsuki returned with a large bowl of soup judging by the smell of it. Viktor felt his mouth water at the memory of the katsudon from the other night but he managed to focus again when something came his way.

He caught it easily, it was a pack of blood. Katsuki had probably said something warning Viktor, but it clearly hadn’t reached Viktor’s brain. Viktor eagerly opened it and started drinking. He felt tired again. When the pack was empty he sighed. It was his soulmate’s tiredness again judging by the lack of change after downing the blood.

Katsuki sat down and started quickly going to town on his soup, humming in appreciation with each bite. Viktor found himself watching the other, who seemed to be absolutely starving. Viktor smiled softly and started to look for anything that worked.

Soon enough Viktor finally managed to find a working television with no noticeable flaws. He turned to tell Katsuki, but stopped. The man was asleep. The bowl was clumsily set aside and he was curled up slightly, using his arms as a pillow. Viktor chuckled and moved closer. He carefully brushed Katsuki’s hair from his face and stared at the for a moment. He looked almost like an angel while he slept. Pulling himself out of it, Viktor removed Katsuki’s glasses and found a thin blanket to lay onto of him. Quietly, Viktor turned the light off and took his leave.

-

When Viktor left his room a few hours later and ventured downstairs, a freshly washed Katsuki with damp hair was in the living room, moving boxes and things around in an attempt to organize the mess. Viktor watched for a few moments and took in the scene. Katsuki had already apparently made himself some food, if the empty plate with a fork was anything to indicate that. Viktor watched for a few minutes before walking in completely and sitting down.

Katsuki glanced over his shoulder and smiled sheepishly, “Hi Viktor, I just thought I’d tidy up a bit, it was getting kind of cluttered after all.” He said, pushing some more things around. “I’ve got everything sorted into four groups: unknown, useless, sort of useful, and mildly useful.” He said, moving the VCR, that had a tape like the one from _The Ring_ jammed into it, to a pile.

Viktor chuckled, “Normally I’d complain that there are two separate groups for mildly useful and sort of useful, but it really seems to fit with this stuff.” Viktor said as he moved forward and started fiddling with a CD player. Katsuki leaned back and watched, curious. After a few minutes of tinkering the player flickered to life. The room was immediately filled with loud scratchy techno music. Viktor screeched and flailed, his poor sensitive ears feeling as though they were about to start bleeding.

Once the music was successfully turned off, Viktor came to the realization that Katsuki was laughing hard. He turned to give the other a glare for laughing at his pain. Viktor froze though, little tears were in the corner of Katsuki’s eyes. He looked adorable. The man wiped at them, trying to still his laughing. After a few more moments of laughter and Viktor staring at him, Katsuki found his voice, “Sorry, that was Minami’s. I thought he lost it. It’s just some old anime openings he tried to remix.”

Viktor snorted and rolled his eyes, “Well do you have any CDs we could listen to, Katsuki?” Viktor said, seriously hoping Katsuki did, only CDs Viktor had brought with him were mixes of the most love struck music he could on the entire internet. Katsuki seemed to think for a few moments before nodding and quickly going upstairs.

When he returned, he set a box filled with CD cases down and pushed it towards Viktor, “Here take a look.” Viktor hummed and started looking through them. It was a large box, most of these were unopened, probably another stash courtesy of Minami. That kid had a hoarding problem. Not the point though, despite the variance in genre and condition of each CD most were in good taste. As Viktor started pulling some of them out, Katsuki started speaking again. “Um, you can call me Yuuri if you want.”

Viktor froze and jerked his head up to stare at Katsuki/Yuuri in surprise. He remembered the few times he had attempted to call Katsuki Yuuri in the past. Long story short, Viktor was very much inclined to forget Katsuki’s first name was Yuuri to avoid further injury to his person. Viktor stared for a few moments before finding his voice, “Are you sure?”

Katsuki laughed nervously but nodded, looking away almost looking guilty, “Well, yeah. Yakov and my parents were on a first name basis. I know what I’ve said in the past… but I can’t hate you forever.” He paused and took a small, calming breath, “I’d like us to be friends. It would benefit everyone.”

Viktor stared, trying to figure the other out. For a while now, Viktor had seriously considered the notion that Katsuki had started the war solely to get a chance to kill Viktor. Viktor never really considered that Katsuki’s hate was temporary, or that there would be anything between them other than loathing.

Yuuri met Viktor’s eyes steadily. He meant what he said. He was still pretty cautious with the vampire, but he knew he needed to make this work. If he could stomach being friends with Viktor, then maybe he could stomach accepting Viktor was friends with his soulmate. Maybe he could even learn more about said soulmate. Maybe just about anything good would come from this. So far, Yuuri thought he had been handling himself quite well in regards to Viktor. The vampire wasn’t too terribly irritating or traumatizing to be around when they weren’t fighting. Yuuri wasn’t entirely certain if he would ever be okay enough to meet his soulmate, but this was at least a start. He still had around a month and a half to figure it out.

Viktor eventually pulled out a CD and popped it into the player. Soft music started to play with an opera like voice singing over it. It felt so terribly sad. Viktor glanced at Yuuri and rose an eyebrow in confusion, “What is this CD? It looked pretty used and the writing on it was in Japanese so I couldn’t read it.” Viktor explained.

Yuuri nodded and chuckled, “This is the music that Minami likes to use for when he ice skates. He likes to make up routines and imagine he’s gone pro. He would have made an excellent one.” Yuuri said, sadness creeping into his voice. If Minami hadn’t been Yuuri’s friend, he would have been able to go pro. Being a wolf wouldn’t stop you from doing things like that, but being in the middle of a war with a close friend as the soon-to-be leader and then the actual leader did stop you.

Viktor seemed to notice and he attempted to shake Yuuri out of it, “This is really beautiful, you can hear the longing in the singer’s voice. I can really see why Minami would want to make a routine for this.” Viktor said offering his best smile. Yuuri nodded weakly before scooting over to some of the electronics near him and starting to try to figure out if they’d work.

-

Hours later, the pair finally finished going through the electronics. They had gone through a number of CDs and Yuuri had taken a break once to eat and was debating taking another before they finished. Once finished, Yuuri concluded that they should move the stuff that wasn’t necessary out of the room. With plenty of assistance and trips, Viktor and Yuuri managed to get all the useless electronics into the garage to be thrown away later. They then moved the sort of useful things to the side of the room and left the handful of mildly useful things near the center of the room.

They managed to set up a slightly dated flat screen TV in the middle of the floor pushed against the wall with a VCR and a DVD player. All three had clearly seen better days, as indication by the odd stains on each, but they seemed to work well enough. The marks on the TV surprisingly didn’t even touch the screen. So it worked out quite nicely. Yuuri had dragged some blankets and pillows onto the floor in front of the television and asked Viktor to go find them some snacks in the kitchen. Viktor managed to find some kettle corn for Yuuri and was looking around for himself.

Viktor heard a loud clash from the other room, and called out when he heard no other sounds and smelled no blood, “Are you okay in there?” He said, hoping Yuuri hadn’t been knocked out. Partially because that would mean Yuuri was hurt, but mostly because Viktor didn’t know how to deal with an unconscious person. Vampires couldn’t get knocked unconscious. It just wasn’t possible.

Thankfully, Yuuri managed to shakily call out, “I’m fine, some stuff just fell on me. Well… uh… a lot of stuff, but I can handle it.” Viktor figured that was good enough and focused back on the snacks. He then decided he’d be adventurous and try something new. He made a second bag of kettle corn and sprinkled blood on top. Cautiously, Viktor popped a piece into his mouth. Perfect.

Happily taking the two bowls into the living room, he decided to check out just what Yuuri had been up to in his absence. In the living room, there were new boxes in the room and things were scattered everywhere. Said objects appeared to be old VHSs and DVDs. Yuuri was digging himself out of the pile of VHSs that were covering him, it seemed that one of the boxes had fallen over on top of him. Viktor chuckled and set the snacks down, raising an eyebrow at Yuuri. “So what’re we going to do now?”

Yuuri sighed in thought and rubbed the back of his neck, “I thought I’d have enough time to pick a movie for us to watch before you got back, but I guess I was wrong.” Yuuri admitted with a sheepish smile.

Eventually they picked _The_ _Princess Bride_ and stretched out on the bed of blankets and pillows. Viktor appreciated Yuuri’s lack of comment about Viktor’s kettle corn. He knew Yuuri could smell the blood, but it was still polite to ignore it. Even some vampires would scoff at adding blood to random things to help enjoy it.

Yuuri had watched the movie with rapt attention amusingly enough. He had never seen the movie before, though if he recalled Minami did like it. Minami apparently had good taste in movies. Yuuri sighed as the credits rolled, saddened that the movie was already over.

“Ugh, I want to know what happens next. Do they get married and have kids? What are the kids like? Do they live long lives? Or do they die young?” Yuuri rambled off, as though Viktor would somehow have the answers.

Viktor chuckled, “Never pegged you for someone who would care about the sappy after math.” Viktor said, slightly surprised. Yuuri and domestic life seemed to cause an error in Viktor’s brain. Partially because he had only just started seeing Yuuri as something other than a bloodthirsty wolf, but mostly because Yuuri being domestic was something Viktor thought he wouldn’t mind seeing. As the last thought processed in Viktor’s mind he quickly back tracked. No no no. He only wanted to see that because he was worried Yuuri was too fucked up to be normal. If Yuuri could be domestic, then he wouldn’t start another war. That’s the only reason the notion appealed to Viktor. Or rather, that’s what Viktor told himself.

They spent hours watching movies together, lounging on the comfy make-shift bed. Yuuri would occasionally get up to grab more food, but otherwise they barely moved. Yuuri began yawning and at the end of _Slumdog Millionaire_ he started tired rambling, much to Viktor’s surprise. “You know… I really hate soulmates and pack shit sometimes.” He said, moving closer to cuddle up next to Viktor, apparently too tired to care.

Viktor felt his own face warm and he barely managed to find words, “Really? Why is that?” He asked gently. Yuuri badmouthing wolf things? Viktor never thought he’d live to see the day and that was saying something. Viktor was for all intents and purposes immortal after all.

Yuuri nodded vigorously, closing his eyes and yawning, laying his head on a pillow he had yanked closer to where they laid. “Yeah… you know if it weren’t for that stuff… I wouldn’t have been born. Wouldn’t that have been great? Damn shit messed it up…” Viktor tensed and felt his heart squeeze. The other day he assumed Yuuri had mostly said that because he was sulking, but this…? This was disconcerting. Viktor was about to counter Yuuri’s statement when Yuuri rushed on, yanking his head up and giving Viktor a stern look. “Mari met her soulmate. A nature spirit over in America. She’s really cute even.” He sighed and shook his head, “But they can’t have a biological baby so it was hell in the pack. Apparently some even were so bold to say Mari should have a child with someone else, if only to have an heir.” Yuuri snorted with no humor, “How fucking dare they? Mom and dad were horrified. They said that if anyone said such a thing again it would be treason. But, the elders were right about something, there needed to be the potential for a biological heir. Non-biological heirs are only for dire situations. Not something like this.” Yuuri huffed, plopping his head back down. “Mom and dad wouldn’t have cared on their own, but they felt the pack deserved a real push of effort on their part. It wasn’t the packs fault they had only had Mari. So mom and dad decided to try again, even if mom’s health was too fragile for it.” Yuuri gestured to himself, “And so I got to be born with the sole purpose of leading the pack. I was never meant to be a child only a leader.” He finished, falling silent.

Viktor stared in horror. That explained a lot in all honesty. Viktor for a moment thought Yuuri had fallen asleep before he heard the hiccup. Viktor’s eyes widened in alarm. Gently, he maneuvered to get a look at Yuuri’s face. It was difficult since Yuuri wanted to stay hidden, but once Viktor got a good look in he saw that Yuuri was crying. Viktor did not know what to do. Comfort him? How do you comfort someone again? Wrap them in a blanket and rock them? No that was for babies. Tell them they can hit you? No, that was for children and Yuuri hitting him would not end well. Maybe sing? Fuck, Viktor was starting to panic.

Cautiously, Viktor reached out and pulled Yuuri closer to him, wondering what to do with the other. Eventually, Yuuri’s tears slowed and dried. Soon after Viktor could tell the other had fallen asleep, judging by his heart beat.

-

They didn’t talk about the incident the following morning. The days started to slip by with them essentially spending all day watching movies together. They would pause occasionally and share their thoughts. Both admittedly were growing fond of each other to a degree. Viktor was also intrigued with Yuuri’s scent by this point. Yuuri must have stopped using that special soap. Viktor didn’t point out the other’s changing smell. He was worried that if he drew attention to Yuuri’s comforting scent Yuuri would try to change it. Surprisingly, for the first time in decades, Viktor genuinely felt time slip by quickly. Maybe he liked spending time with Yuuri too much.

Eventually, it was the night before Yuuri’s friend Phichit was supposed to come. Yuri and Minami had informed them that they would be staying a bit longer, but would be home eventually. Whatever, assholes. Yuuri was probably in the best mood Viktor had ever seen him in. It was nice. Maybe the cheery mood was what got Viktor to truly relax.

Since the incident where Yuuri had told Viktor about Mari, Viktor had been feeling guilty. They were well on their way to becoming real friends and Viktor was bold faced lying to him. Yuuri was currently under a pile of blankets as he rambled some fond memories he had of Minami and the hijinks they had gotten into in the past few years.

Viktor wasn’t paying an ounce of attention. He was too busy trying to debate what he should say. If he waited much longer he knew he would never get the guts up to tell Yuuri. Just how would he tell him though? Is there a gentle way of saying that you’ve been lying to someone for half a month or so? No there probably wasn’t. But if Viktor wanted this, whatever this was, to mean something, he had to be honest.

As Viktor formulated his words, he didn’t even notice Yuuri stop talking. Only after a few minutes of Yuuri staring at him did Viktor notice, “What is it Yuuri?” Viktor said, feigning innocence. Yuuri sighed and gave him a look meaning Yuuri clearly didn’t buy Viktor’s cluelessness.

Viktor fidgeted, suddenly nervous about the pressure on him. “Um I need to tell you something and I got distracted thinking about it. Sorry for not paying attention.” Viktor said, looking over at Yuuri guiltily. Hopefully this wasn’t going to be too bad. Viktor could hope at least.

Yuuri frowned and rose an eyebrow, pushing some blankets away from his face and sitting up, clearly taking Viktor seriously. The calm expression that had been on his face the past few days was replaced with a level, controlled one. It felt like Yuuri had hit him emotionally. After a moment’s pause Yuuri spoke, “Go ahead. I’m all ears.”

Viktor nearly recoiled but forced himself to speak anyway, backing out now would make things worse when the truth eventually came out. “Well… um Yuri and I aren’t actually here looking for my friend’s soulmate.”

Yuuri visibly tensed. He looked horrified. As though his worst fears were coming true, it twisted Viktor’s heart in the worst ways, “What do you mean? Are you actually looking for someone or…?” Yuuri was visibly trying to put things together. Viktor felt his throat tighten up and fear and terror flood his system.

“I mean… It’s not my _friend’s_ soulmate we’re looking for.” Viktor said gently, unable to break eye contact at this point. He wanted to, most definitely. But Yuuri’s eyes held him in place. He hoped Yuuri was getting what he was hinting at. It didn’t seem so. Viktor forced the words from his mouth, knowing there was no going back now and that he would have to flat out tell Yuuri what he meant. “We’re looking for _my_ soulmate.”

To Viktor’s utter horror, because of his inability to look away, he got to bear witness to all of Yuuri’s reactions. First, confusion. Then disbelief. Then anger. Then flat out utter panic. Then rage. Viktor expected more but when tears welled up in Yuuri’s eyes and the rest of his face didn’t stop looking angry, Viktor knew he had fucked up _bad._

Yuuri was on his feet in the next second and had yanked Viktor up with him, pinning the vampire harshly against the wall. Yuuri’s eyes started to get a hint of glow, a characteristic that werewolf’s wolf forms had. He growled low in his throat, uncontained rage sinking into his voice, “What the _fuck_ did you just say Nikiforov?” Viktor felt his blood run cold. He had never seen Yuuri so angry. He was terrified. Yuuri’s tears only managed to confuse Viktor though.

Yuuri’s arm that held Viktor to the wall trembled. Viktor couldn’t tell if it was from rage or something else. Yuuri growled again and looked about to tear Viktor’s throat out. Viktor was screaming at his own body to move. Now was not the time to freeze up. Why was he freezing up? What was wrong with him? Viktor tried to take a small breath to level himself. Big mistake. Viktor was hit with a wave of Yuuri’s scent. It was like muscle relaxant by this point. Viktor barely managed to keep his reaction minimal as he attempted to meet Yuuri’s eyes.

Yuuri had tears dripping down his cheeks. Just as Viktor thought for sure this was the end, Yuuri relaxed and backed up. “Ugh, I can’t. I just… can’t.” He said, looking away, his posture looking defeated. Without another word, Yuuri left the room and went upstairs, leaving Viktor standing, stunned in the living room. What just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had been planning this to happen around chapter four in the beginning but felt that it fit better here. Did you guys enjoy the Viktuuri? I really hoped you guys liked this, it was really fun to write. This time I only had to rewrite about the first 500 words once, new record. Tell me what you think!!! Like seriously, I have no idea what you guys are going to think. Anyway, until next time! Thanks for sticking around so far!


	7. Blood

When Viktor dared to leave his room the following morning, he knew he had to get answers. Even if Yuuri’s friend would be visiting. As Viktor slid out of his room though, he froze. The house smelled much different. It smelled of a lot of soap followed by something else and the overwhelming smell of the ocean. Viktor frowned, the mystery scent was incredibly familiar. He tensed, trying to figure it out before it hit him. Chris.

In the next instant Viktor was downstairs, looking around for Chris. He had told him where he went, so why was he here? Viktor ignored the pain in his chest when he checked the living room. Yuuri seemed to have cleaned it since last night. All the blankets and pillows were gone and the furniture was back in their original places. Most of the electronics were gone too but the television was still set up. Viktor ignored the thought and continued to search frantically until he got to the kitchen, stopping and staring in confusion.

Yuuri was cooking with a stranger clinging to him. The stranger was chattering away happily and nuzzling Yuuri’s neck. That alone was surprising, Viktor hadn’t even seen Minami get away with that. But what captured most of his attention was Chris sitting at the table, smiling softly and watching Viktor with a raised eyebrow. “Good morning Viktor, nice of you to join us.” Chris said, smiling warmly and gesturing to the seat next to him.

Viktor sat down and the scraping of the chair snapped Yuuri and the stranger out of their own little world. Yuuri looked to Chris then the stranger then glanced at Viktor. Their eyes met for a moment and Yuuri jerked his head away, apparently deciding to focus on the food. Viktor seemed to pull himself out of it and spoke, which admittedly made Yuuri flinch, “What’re you doing here Chris?”

Chris chuckled, “Well if you had checked your email since you got here you would’ve known that we’d be seeing each other soon.” Chris looked over to the stranger and said stranger walked over and sat down in Chris’s lap, wrapping their arms around Chris. “My soulmate gave me a call and said it was the perfect time to finally meet face to face.”

Viktor was still confused, that hardly explained what was going on in any sense of the word, the stranger chuckled, “Hello Viktor! I’m Phichit, Yuuri’s best friend~” Viktor stared skeptically, debating for a moment whether he was hallucinating or if this was real, Phichit smirked as his eyes flashed blue and he tilted his head, “I can assure you, you’re not hallucinating.”

Viktor flinched, looking incredulously between Phichit and Chris, wondering if Chris’s apparent soulmate was a mind reader. Chris pecked Phichit on the cheek and explained, “My cutie pie here has the gift of foresight. He can see the future. Its why he wanted us to wait, things needed to happen.” Chris said fondly running his fingers through Phichit’s hair.

Viktor took the moment to size up this Phichit. He seemed like a normal nature spirit, albeit thinner than most. Nature spirits were incredibly common amongst immortals but rarely born these days. If Phichit was new that would be surprising. Phichit was thin and upon examination, was clearly wearing one of Chris’s sweaters and some shorts. “If you can see the future, then does that mean you’ve let everything happen as it has?” Viktor said, trying to contain his instinctive rage, a million things could have been prevented if this guy could see the future. How could someone just sit back and let it happen?

Phichit seemed calm as a cucumber, utterly unconcerned despite Viktor’s tone. “I’m not a god. I have my reasons for doing as I have. I don’t need to explain them to you. Besides, its dangerous to do it too much.” Phichit said, sliding out of Chris’s lap and walking to Viktor. Phichit put his hand on the table and looked Viktor dead in the eyes, “I know everything and anything that will or could ever happen to you.” His tone was dangerous and it sent a chill down Viktor’s spine.

Yuuri took this as his que to involve himself, “Phichit has to look first though. Not to mention he only keeps tabs on Chris and mine’s immediate futures, the far future has so many possibilities it’s a waste of energy.” Yuuri said with a chuckle, starting to set some food up on the table. Phichit smiled and started helping, apparently fine with his intimidation being ruined by his friend, or maybe pleased about something else?

Yuuri cursed himself for helping Viktor. What was he thinking? Yuuri just hadn’t wanted Viktor to get paranoid over nothing, was that so bad? To compensate, Yuuri decided that he would make sure Viktor didn’t get the idea that Yuuri liked him again. Yuuri would be damned if he lost his nerve now.

Viktor frowned as Yuuri sat down, apparently having determined getting blood for Chris and him wasn’t important enough. Being rude to Viktor was one thing, but what had Chris done? Phichit seemed to be thinking ahead though and got up and grabbed a blood pouch for Chris. Viktor sighed internally, was this how it was going to be? To his surprise though, Phichit handed the pack to him. Viktor stared in confusion as Phichit took a seat next to Yuuri.

Reading Viktor’s confusion, Chris spoke as Phichit and Yuuri started eating. “My dear is far too possessive to have me drink pre-packaged blood when he’s with me.” Chris said with a chuckle, glancing over at Phichit. Now that Viktor was looking, he thought he could see a set of puncture wounds on the water spirit’s neck. Viktor felt the wind leave him. Blood giving was an incredibly intimate thing for soulmates to do. Some waited until years after meeting to do it. Other’s never did. A soulmate’s blood was supposed to be the most heavenly tasting thing in the world. Of course at the same time, it was bitter. You were literally drinking the life from your beloved. It scared many. Not to mention leaving puncture wounds in such a visible place was bold. “Apparently seeing the future lowers the risk of me accidentally drinking too much.” Chris said with a shrug.

Viktor nodded weakly, sipping at his blood. He felt more than a bit bitter and confused. With Yuuri’s reaction last night, there was a good chance he’d kick him out soon. Viktor wouldn’t blame him. Viktor’s soulmate didn’t even seem to want to meet him though. Should he just give up? Soon, Phichit excused himself and Chris, saying that they wanted to unpack. Viktor knew that was bullshit with the way Chris couldn’t keep his hands off Phichit as they left, but Yuuri didn’t argue so he kept his mouth shut.

It left Viktor and Yuuri alone in the room together unfortunately. Yuuri was washing dishes now and seemed to be trying to ignore Viktor. Viktor sighed, he needed answers one way or another though. He frowned as he walked over and leaned his back against the counter, crossing his arms, “What happened last night?” Viktor said flatly. Chris might have been touchy feely earlier, but if Phichit could see the future then Viktor had to work fast if he didn’t want to be interrupted. He wasn’t about to waste time.

Yuuri tensed slightly, moving away from Viktor, turning the water off. Viktor was not about to have it. As soon as the water was off, Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s wrist and spun him around, trapping Yuuri between him and the counter with his arms. Yuuri stared, wide-eyed, looking almost frightened. Viktor stared at him head on, hoping that his forwardness would keep Yuuri from lying. “If you’re going to kick me out, just do it. I need to find my soulmate. I will find them with or without your help.” Viktor hissed.

Yuuri seemed to process the situation slowly, first their position then Viktor’s words. The frightened expression disappeared as Yuuri shoved at Viktor’s chest, “Like hell you will. Move Nikiforov before I make you.” The detachment sent a spike of hurt through Viktor. Viktor wasn’t entirely sure why it hurt to be called by his last name so callously, but it did none the less.

Viktor didn’t move. He was getting genuinely pissed with this. What was Yuuri’s problem? He was being ridiculous, “If you’re mad that I lied, just say it. I always pegged you for someone more rational than this.” Viktor challenged. If Yuuri was mad about that, why didn’t he just say so? Why wouldn’t he just tell him? Viktor had never known Yuuri to be indecisive. Whenever he had seen something upset the other, Yuuri would do something about it to fix it immediately. He wouldn’t hold his tongue like some kind of teenager.

Yuuri glared up at Viktor, he hated the position he was in. He felt trapped, literally and physically. He hadn’t given himself time to process everything. Viktor was his soulmate, but how did Yuuri feel about it? How would Viktor react? Viktor needed to back off right now, that’s all Yuuri could manage to decide. Yuuri shoved Viktor harder this time, growling lowly, “Move.” He didn’t leave any room for argument in his tone. Yuuri could feel the panic bubbling in his chest, he had to get out of here before he broke down.

Viktor just gripped the counter tighter, his eyes narrowing, he wasn’t about to move until he got an answer. Vaguely in the background he thought he heard a door open, but it was just background noise to the rage he was feeling. In the next moment, Yuuri was reaching up and grabbing Viktor’s head, head-butting him harshly. Hissing, Viktor backed away, clutching at his head. His vision swam and he barely managed to stay aware of his surroundings. Yuuri was still a little dazed from the impact and Viktor wasn’t about to pass up a perfectly good opportunity. Consequently, Viktor grabbed Yuuri and tossed him towards the doorway.

Yuuri stumbled to the ground in the hallway, halfway between the kitchen and living room. He pulled himself up and at seeing Viktor coming towards him he dashed to his left in the direction of the front door. He was vaguely aware that this fight was only going to escalate and that being outside would be for the best. Once Yuuri was outside he thanked the heavens he lived in the middle of the forest. Company would be bad right now.

Just as Yuuri had enough time to process that thought Viktor was lunging at him, wasting no time at this point. It was a little sickening how easily the pair fell into the pattern of doing everything physically possible to harm each other. Viktor was aware though that Yuuri wasn’t his normal self. He was slower to react and his punches didn’t land as hard. The more they fought, the more aware Viktor was aware that Yuuri was conflicted about actually trying to harm him now. Idiot.

Yuuri was only vaguely aware that Phichit and Chris had rushed out to see what was going on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chris holding Phichit tightly while Phichit struggled to the best of his ability. Guilt sprung through Yuuri. Phichit’s body was as fragile to injuries as a human’s. He didn’t have any extra muscle or stronger bones. If he got himself in the middle of Yuuri and Viktor, he could easily be killed. Yuuri was grateful for Chris’s presence. Phichit was yelling something but Yuuri couldn’t hear him over the blood pounding in his ears for the adrenaline.

Yuuri forced himself to focus on Viktor a little too late, the other had taken the opportunity to kick him squarely in the chest. Yuuri had zero time to react, he was just sent flying. He felt his back connect with a tree and he screamed, falling to the ground. He was barely managing to keep himself together. He couldn’t remember the last time something had hurt so much. Yuuri hunched over and did his best to cover his mouth, fearing he would scream, puke, or start crying. His surroundings turned into background buzzing.

Viktor hadn’t moved, just glaring at Yuuri. What was wrong with him? He had never been this much of a pushover before. Viktor was about to start moving again if he hadn’t seen Phichit dash to Yuuri. The man kneeled down by his friend, panicked and seemingly horrified.

Phichit was genuinely scared. He knew the ways this could end. If Yuuri and Viktor didn’t stop now one of them would do something they’d regret. Yuuri’s body was weak right now, based upon how many ways he could die in the future. Probably because of his lack of training since the start of his heat. Both Viktor and Yuuri weren’t thinking rationally and Phichit couldn’t stop himself from panicking. He had never watched Yuuri fight before. Seeing all of the different ways Yuuri could die would be too much for Phichit, so Phichit made sure he avoided it. Phichit froze as he saw the future rearrange, backing away from Yuuri in alarm. Phichit whipped his head to look at Chris who was at Viktor’s side at this point. Phichit felt so helpless. On que in Phichit’s mind, Yuuri started coughing violently. Phichit closed his eyes, knowing he couldn’t change what was starting to happen.

Yuuri kept coughing, the coughs getting worse and worse until a retching sound could be heard. Yuuri stared down in front of him, his eyes unfocused. Red was splattered on the ground. Yuuri wiped at his mouth, sitting up weakly, refusing to give up at this point. He pulled all of his strength together to meet Viktor’s eyes with as much determination as he could and Yuuri made eye contact.

Viktor’s eyes were wide, staring at him in horror. Viktor’s brain was trying desperately to process the moment. Yuuri’s blood… it smelled… oh my god. Yuuri was Viktor’s soulmate. Yuuri knew, probably didn’t realize that Viktor would be able to tell from the smell of his blood judging from Yuuri’s expression, and that’s why he had been behaving like he had since last night. Viktor understood idly why there were conflicting emotions regarding soulmate’s blood. Yes, he would like nothing more to taste it, but the sheer horror that Yuuri was so severely injured immobilized Viktor.

Viktor snapped himself out of it and rushed to Yuuri’s side, ignoring how Yuuri flinched away. “What can I do? Should we get you to a hospital?” Viktor said, gently, before glancing over at Phichit, the only thought on his brain being what was the best way to help Yuuri. Phichit blinked a few times at him, his eyes flashing blue again and again. He must be looking at the future.

“We should go inside, Y-Yuuri will be mad if we take him to a hospital. Too risky.” Phichit said quietly, standing up and looking at Yuuri in concern. Yuuri met his eyes with a weak glare. Typical Yuuri, not wanting to be taken care of.

Yuuri pulled himself up without Viktor’s help, “I’ll be fine. I have some medicine inside, I’ll heal.” He said before attempting to stride away confidently. The effect was diminished by how slowly he was moving. Yuuri knew he was weaker than normal. He knew Phichit was probably seeing the number of ways he could die. But Yuuri also knew his body better than anyone. At the end of the day he was still a wolf. His body would heal. He tried to ignore whether or not he should assume Viktor had realized they were soulmates.

-

Twenty minutes later things had died down. Yuuri was nice and bandaged, courtesy of Phichit, and sitting on the couch shirtless. Yuuri had called Yuuko’s husband Takeshi since he had been a medic during the war. Takeshi said that Yuuri would be fine as long as Yuuri wasn’t in pain breathing an hour later. It hadn’t been the first time Yuuri spit up blood after a particularly bad impact. Takeshi did insist though that Yuuri stay awake for a while to make sure any other injuries didn’t become apparent.

Phichit seemed to have relaxed, the odds of Yuuri dying had been reduced significantly. Chris had managed to calm him down and helping Yuuri had done wonders for Phichit’s mood. Viktor had watched numbly as Yuuri got bandaged and was cooed over. Yuuri looked like he was going to doze off considering how he was leaning towards Phichit, so Viktor took that as his que to speak up, “Yuuri, did you know we’re soulmates?”

Phichit immediately stood and pulled Chris up with him, “We’ll be in our room when you guys are done.” He said before quickly exiting. Yuuri frowned and watched his friend leave, irritated that the other was essentially abandoning him to Viktor.

Viktor was watching him speculatively, waiting for an answer. Unlike this morning, Yuuri actually responded to the question, “I knew I was your friend’s soulmate since we got back from getting yukata’s with Minami and Yuri. I only realized it was you last night.” Yuuri said quietly, looking away and shifting. He had not anticipated this to happen so fast, but he knew he had to see it through now that it was happening.

Viktor hummed, taking in the information, trying to see if there was anything this wouldn’t explain. So many questions buzzed through his head, this was going to take a while. Why hadn’t he noticed it before- wait. “Yuuri… are you an omega?”

Yuuri’s face was beat red, he was giving Viktor an incredulous look, trying not to be too overly humiliated, “Viktor, don’t ask stupid questions.” He said, looking away. Viktor had felt his senses during his heat. Fuck, that was so embarrassing. Soulmates or otherwise, Yuuri couldn’t help but be uncomfortable. And the fact that during his heat he had gotten off to the thought of his soulmate in bed with him…?

Viktor blinked and tilted his head, confused, “I thought omegas weren’t treated well in wolf society. I’ve never heard of anyone saying anything bad about you though. Based on being an omega or otherwise. So, I’m a bit confused, sorry.” Viktor said, scratching behind his ear nervously. Even with all he had learned recently, it seemed like what he knew was conflicting with what was happening.

Yuuri looked over at Viktor and Yuuri’s resolve to stay distant melted. Viktor was so terribly confused. Horribly, horribly confused. Especially knowing they were soulmates and that Viktor had yet to say anything about regretting coming now, Yuuri couldn’t help but want to be gentle with Viktor, “That is true. No one has said anything about me because only Minami knows. I only presented two or three years ago. Minami stays so close to me to help hide it.” Yuuri found himself admitting.

Viktor nodded slowly, taking it in. That made sense. If he was hiding it, no one would have a chance to insult him over it. It also explained why the staff hadn’t been around. Viktor tried to think about anything else that could be relevant and found himself talking. “So… should I leave? I know you really didn’t want me to look for you.” Viktor tried to keep his voice level. He had been damned and determined to meet his soulmate. He had told himself he’d be okay with just a moment of their time. And he had gotten that. He would love to stay and find out where this led him, but if Yuuri didn’t want him here, it hardly mattered.

Yuuri blinked and stared, turning the idea over in his head. Part of him screamed yes Viktor should leave. Yuuri hadn’t wanted Viktor to know. He had wanted to continue hating the man and gently pushing his soulmate’s thoughts away. He was here now though. He couldn’t just ignore everything after this. Not to mention part of him just wanted to get closer to Viktor and see if they really did have the chemistry of normal soulmates. Yuuri shook his head, “I can’t exactly ask you to pretend this didn’t happen. I don’t really know what I want but…” He paused, strongly debating just stopping there, “I wouldn’t mind trying to see how this works out. I want to try.” He said meeting Viktor’s eyes with newfound determination.

Viktor blinked and stared, stunned at the other’s response before breaking out into a blinding smile. “I’m happy to hear that.” Viktor fought the urge to get up and move closer before looking around, trying to find something they could talk about that wouldn’t end poorly. Viktor was no good with small talk so maybe him trying for it wasn’t the best idea. Yuuri pulled out his rarely used cell phone and started to type something in, “What’re you going to do?” Viktor asked, wondering if Yuuri had decided he was done with this conversation.

Yuuri fiddled around some more with it, “I was going to call Phichit to get him down here, but it occurred to me I should let Minami know I got hurt.” He glanced at Viktor, “I’ll tell him the rest whenever he comes home, I don’t think it’s something I should tell him over the phone.” Yuuri said, the slightest of red tinting his cheeks. With that, he pressed call and placed his phone next to his ear waiting for it to ring, “Hi Minami!”

Viktor strained his ears to hear the other end of the conversation, _“Yuuri! What’s up? Leo and Guang Hong were just bickering about if they had a baby what they’d name it! It’s so cute!”_

“Oh that’s cool, I wish I was there. I just called to, um tell you something. I think you’d be kind of, uh, livid if I didn’t call and tell you.”

Minami’s line was silent for a few moments before he replied, _“I’m sorry, what? What happened?”_

“Well… Viktor and I got into a fight, like a physical one. And er, I’m going to be out of commission for a bit. I coughed up some blood.”

_“WHAT HAPPENED?! I AM GOING TO KILL HIM I LEAVE HIM ALONE WITH YOU FOR ONE WEEK AND THI-“_

“Minami, Minami, calm down. It’s okay, we’re fine. Phichit and Chris were here and the fight stopped after that. I didn’t even have to go to the hospital. Viktor did nothing wrong.”

Viktor tuned the rest of the conversation out at this point. He did nothing wrong? While that was sweet, it was utter bullshit in Viktor’s opinion. He had done plenty wrong. He went all out with Yuuri when he knew the other was holding back. Which brought Viktor to another quiet realization, getting a read on whether or not Yuuri was just putting up a front right now was nearly impossible. Yuuri was definitely _acting_ okay, but how much was shock? How much was him just not wanting to start anything? Did Yuuri really want this? Viktor snapped out of it when he noticed Yuuri waving at him to get his attention, “Are you in there Viktor?” When Viktor numbly nodded Yuuri continued, “Minami said he’ll tell Yuri and that he’s going to head back here soon. He seems to think I should go to the hospital regardless and knows that I won’t unless he’s with me.”

Viktor nodded and moved over to the couch Yuuri was on, sitting next to him and taking Yuuri’s hand in his, to Yuuri’s surprise, “Yuuri, please tell me what you’re thinking. It’s okay if you want me to leave and give you some space. I would understand. I just don’t want you to force yourself to do this.” Viktor said quietly, pleading with Yuuri with his eyes to take what Viktor was saying to heart.

Yuuri nodded weakly and squeezed Viktor’s hand. “I might not know a lot about relationships, but I do know most of my opinion of you was formed because of things that you couldn’t control. I…” He bit his lip, “I want to give you a real chance. Yeah, I’m in a bit of shock, but… if you’ll take it slow with me, I’ll do my best.”

Viktor smiled and fought the urge to say something overly affectionate. The pure chance of this going well was enough for him to be on cloud nine. He was about to speak when, unfortunately, they were interrupted, “Okay Viktor, you and Chris are going to get some things for us while me and Yuuri have a best bud’s night in.” Phichit sand happily, suddenly at Yuuri’s side. Yuuri opened his mouth to protest when Phichit spoke again, “Future vision, it’s the best course of action.”

Yuuri scowled and glared for a moment. Phichit merely smiled back as Yuuri rolled his eyes, “Liar, you didn’t look into the future to say that, otherwise you would have seen what I just decided to do.” It wasn’t uncommon for Phichit to lie slightly about it. It made his argument seem solid, but Yuuri had found a few ways to test it over the years.

Phichit pouted, “Whatever, they’re going out anyway, you need to rest.” Phichit looked over at Viktor, “Out of courtesy to Yuuri I’m not going to look into either of yours’ futures while we’re here. I only really use it to make sure he’s not going to die accidentally.” Phichit admitted, gently taking Yuuri’s hand and pulling him up and close. Viktor watched curiously at their proximately, not quite understanding why Phichit and Yuuri were physically closer than Yuuri and Minami.

Yuuri let himself be pulled up, glancing back at Viktor, before meeting Phichit’s eyes. “What do you want to do then?” Yuuri asked. He was admittedly running out of energy, but he’d still try to keep up with Phichit either way.

Phichit smiled and patted Yuuri’s cheek, “You’re going to take it easy while we talk this out.”

-

After Viktor and Chris left, much to Viktor’s protests, Phichit and Yuuri settled down in Yuuri’s room. “So you’re going to talk this out with me before getting some sleep. I know you, you need to process everything.”

Yuuri nodded weakly, using his pillows to prop himself up on his bed. He was exhausted, but he also knew Phichit wouldn’t let him sleep at this point until he was satisfied. “I don’t know how to feel anymore. Of course I’d always wanted to have a soulmate somewhere. But… this isn’t how I imagined it would go. I met him when I was five Phichit, on the worst day of my life. After hating him for so long, how can I like him? Let alone accept that we’re soulmates?”

Phichit smiled softly at his friend, “I know this won’t be the be-all-end-all no matter what you conclude or what I say. But I want you to really think about whether you hated him because you genuinely disliked him, or because you felt you had to. Also… he’s known you longer than anyone has save Mari. He treats you as an equal despite the age difference. He wouldn’t be someone you’d have to force yourself to take seriously and he wouldn’t be a liability. The fearsome wolf leader I know would be more than pleased with those traits. You could depend on him. You have all the time in the world, just let yourself feel. You’ll figure this out.”

Yuuri stared at his friend with tear-filled eyes before pulling Phichit into a tight hug, soft sobs escaping him as he pulled the other down, curling up against Phichit. Yuuri needed to get to cry this out.

-

Viktor sighed as he strolled down the street with Chris, not entirely sure why they had to leave. Chris seemed content to just hum along. Viktor hated just walking, it was so boring. He had done enough of it already in his life. “What’re we doing Chris? You hate things like this more than I do.” Viktor said, casting his best friend a suspicious glance. Was Chris really this whipped to be perfectly happy doing this because Phichit asked?

Chris chuckled, “I did hate walking, that’s true. But, not going to lie, I kind of like it now. We’re also going out to talk about some of the things I’ve been finding out.” Chris paused, waiting for Viktor’s questions, but when he received none he just continued, “Apparently this part of time has been meticulously calculated by Phichit.”

Viktor frowned and rose an eyebrow, “I’m afraid I don’t follow. I thought his future vision was difficult on his body and that the far future was pointless to look at.” Things were just too confusing for him. Since this morning his entire world had been flipped on its head, but that wasn’t exactly surprising by this point.

Chris nodded, “True. Apparently once he realized he had the ability to see the future, he obsessively started looking into it and calculating things when he was younger. End result: we could only meet once the war was over. I bugged him about it, and aside from having his friendship with Yuuri bloom to the best of it’s potential, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the other half of the reason.” Chris said throwing Viktor a smile.

Viktor froze and narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean? He planned all of this?” He said, suddenly debating whether or not he should throttle Phichit or thank him.

Chris shook his head, “Plan would make it seem like he somehow made it happen. He avoided doing things that would prevent it from happening is all.” Chris decided he didn’t need to elaborate any further, “Imagine my surprise when I first met him after the war and he burst into tears in my arms. Apparently fighting messes with his vision a lot if he’s keeping tabs on someone. He kept seeing all the different ways I could die. The poor kid was terrified. Even though we waited so long… He still makes me really happy.” Chris admitted.

Viktor nodded, wondering if he’ll ever feel that. If Yuuri would ever let him comfort him again. If he could ever have something that made him so happy, “I’m really glad it’s working out for you Chris. I was pretty worried when you said your soulmate wanted to wait. I just hope it stays like that.” He left it unsaid that he hoped he could feel something like that someday. After the recent events it truly scared him that he might have to hold on to those brief happy moments with Yuuri from the past few days for the rest of his existence.

“I wouldn’t count yourself out yet. As soon as Phichit told me Yuuri was your soulmate, I basically begged for every detail about him I could get, just for you.” Chris said throwing Viktor a wink. Viktor smiled back appreciatively and waited for Chris to continue, “From what I’ve gathered, just about everyone would be surprised if Yuuri stayed cold to you.” Viktor nodded as he looked around, wondering just what would happen next. Could this really work out? Chris continued, “You are going to love sleeping.”

Viktor blinked and gave Chris a confused look, “Vampires can’t sleep Chris, you know that.” Chris was around his age, how was Viktor only just now being the one to inform Chris? Was Chris even worse informed about things than Viktor?

Chris nodded, “You’re right, vampires can’t _normally_. But if you’re with your soulmate and the link is open enough, you can fall asleep too. I have to admit, I’m a tad addicted.” Chris said with a yawn, “I cannot wait until Phichit lets us go to sleep again.”

Viktor was surprised but he found his mind being dragged elsewhere, “What is it like? Having a soulmate that isn’t a vampire? Does it affect you guys? I can’t imagine exchanging blood if he doesn’t need it, or anything like that.” Vampires could theoretically never need to feed from anyone else if both in a pair fed from each other. It wasn’t exactly the healthiest thing in the world, but if one was giving blood it was rarely only one way.

“Actually, he sometimes takes a sip. Apparently it’s just a spontaneous urge for him. It’s really cute though. Not to mention a major turn on. Since you know it’s just your hormones affecting him.” Chris admitted, smiling fondly at the memory.

Viktor made an incredulous face, “He tries to bite you? Can he even pierce the skin with his teeth? He doesn’t have fangs.” Viktor said, trying to imagine it. There was no way Phichit’s dull human-like teeth could pierce vampire skin.

Chris chuckled, “Yeah, he does. Piercing the skin doesn’t work out for him much. I normally have to get a cut started for him. He has managed to pierce the skin a few time on his own though. Oddly enough, I really think that it feels the similar to him as it does for me. He certainly acts like it. The only difference is he has zero concept of how much he’s had. Which, since he can’t get much out it doesn’t really matter.” Chris admitted, realizing Viktor might be curious about Phichit’s reaction, “I really don’t think it’s just for my benefit. He does it even whenever he wants pretty much.”

Viktor touched his neck, wondering how the flying fuck you get to that point, the thought of touching Yuuri without getting smacked was foreign to him. Much less anything having to do with blood. “Good to know.” Viktor responded, trying to focus on spending time with his friend and not stressing over things he couldn’t control or help.

-

A few hours later the pair returned. After putting the food and blood they had gotten earlier away, Chris excused himself to go find Phichit. Viktor went to his room, hoping to get to process things more. How could he let Yuuri know he could trust him? How could he get Yuuri to open up? He wanted to know more about him. All those negative emotions he had felt over the years had been Yuuri’s after all. Viktor could hardly imagine the stoic Yuuri he had known for years feeling like that. But apparently he had. He wanted to figure out Yuuri. More so than ever before. Maybe then Viktor could decide for himself if Yuuri and him were really soulmates. Technically they were, but what would it feel like between them? Would they ever get over their history? Somethings Yuuri had done still turned Viktor’s stomach with rage, admittedly.

Years of thinking Yuuri was a complete idiot if not flat out moron couldn’t exactly be erased by a revelation. He couldn’t help but wonder what Yuuri was doing right now, carefully, Viktor reached out with his mind, trying to gently feel the other’s senses. Yuuri was wrapped in warmth, probably a blanket and definitely clinging to Phichit. The air was filled with the smell of the ocean and Yuuri’s own scent. Yuuri’s breathing was steady and even, he must be asleep. Viktor let Yuuri’s rhythmic breathing relax him as he thought over the recent turn of events.

Yuuri was his soulmate. A few things make a lot more sense in all honesty with that in mind. Viktor always assumed that the pull he felt towards Yuuri was merely one of hatred. The fact that they were natural enemies. But that wouldn’t explain how Yuuri actually smelled different than any other werewolf to Viktor. It would also explain the stupidly high amount of sympathy Viktor felt towards Yuuri. Could Viktor make this work? Yuuri hated him less than a month ago after all.

Viktor sighed, wishing he could sleep. Viktor slowly decided what he should do. Even if Yuuri and him couldn’t be together like most soulmates, Viktor would try and have it so they were at the very least on good terms. Viktor doubted he could bear Yuuri looking at him with hatred now. He couldn’t bear to know he fucked up the most important bond in either of their lives.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blonds are back next chapter. The house is going to be soooo crowded. I figured that Phichit, while being emotionally supportive of Yuuri, would avoid genuinely interfering with Yuuri's relationships without permission. Tell me what you think! You guys made me feel so loved last chapter. I really hope you like this one. Less of a cliffhanger and all, a little more happy. I really wanted to write this one and I really want to write the next one, because oh my god everyone together is going to be so much fun to write. Until next time~! P.S. Tell me if you think I should put any more 'adult' themed interactions as a separate story, in here, or just gloss over them completely. Originally I didn't think I'd really write any for this, but I'm playing with the idea and I would like to know what you guys want, if there's a preference. So for real this time, until next time~! I hope you liked this!


	8. Rage and Clarifications

Yuri sighed, dragging his hand down his face. Customs had been hell getting back into Japan. He was still in hell at the airport despite making it through customs already. Once he had gotten through he proceeded to desperately look for any place in the airport that sold cat food. He had brought Duchess with him and he didn’t want her to go hungry because he hadn’t thought to get food. He was currently bickering with a store clerk.

“I’m sorry sir, but we don’t serve your kind here.” She said politely. Rage boiled through Yuri, he got it this was wolf territory. But he just wanted some damn cat food. Okay maybe some wasn’t the most accurate description, considering he had grabbed their entire stock that was on the shelves, but still. He was starting to get really pissed. What was he going to do with cat food besides feed cats? There was no harm.

“I’m a vampire not some kind of animal abuser, just sell me the damn food.” He growled out, ignoring the looks he got from the other people in earshot. He couldn’t be bothered. After the flight he was a little short on energy. Damnit, why did his soulmate have to choose now to be tired? Yuri got extra irritable when he was tired.

A voice spoke up from behind Yuri, “What a coincidence! I was planning on buying that exact amount of cat food! Since he isn’t buying it, will you ring it up for me?” The cashier nodded and started ringing the stranger up. Their voice was way too fucking happy for being this much of an asshole.

Yuri turned around quickly, “Bitch! I-“ Yuri stopped and sighed, running his hand down his face again. “Minami, I should have known. I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Yuri said as his eyes connected with Minami’s. Minami beamed at him as Yuri moved over and leaned back against the counter. Minami didn’t have a cat, so he was definitely just doing it to help Yuri out.

Minami chuckled at him as he paid, taking the bags of cat food, handing them to Yuri. “Me neither. Though I will admit I figured you’d be back at the house by now.” The pair started walking out of the store and in the direction of the doors, “Though seeing you here was definitely a nice surprise.” Minami said with a wink before adding, “Cute cat though, what’s its name? You didn’t tell me you had one.”

Yuri glared, trying to ignore the adorable wink, “Her name is the Grand Duchess Anastasia. I call her Duchess. And if you so much as harm one single hair on her I will skin you and hang your pelt on the wall just to watch Katsuki cry.” Yuri growled out. He wouldn’t have brought Duchess if he had another choice. She wasn’t going to let him leave Russia without her though. As evident by the nice puncture wounds he had bandaged on his leg. Regardless, Yuri would be damned if either of the wolves hurt her.

Minami looked confused before he scowled, “You do realize I’m a werewolf and not an actual dog, right? Like, it’s a cat. Completely harmless. If anything you should be worried about me hurting one of you guys. Especially since there’s going to be so many in our house. I am not looking forward to this.” Minami said pouting at they reached the outside.

Yuri frowned, “So many? Is there another vampire staying at the house now? Besides me and Viktor?”

-

When Yuuri woke up he wasn’t surprised to see Phichit gone. Saddened, but not surprised. Groggily, he took a shower and got dressed, opting for plenty of scent erasing soap and fresh clothes. He anticipated Minami dragging him out after so much time apart. Not to mention Yuuri couldn’t imagine the younger would be overly thrilled with Yuuri smelling of everything but him. Minami wasn’t exactly possessive, but most wolves preferred that, at the very least, their pack leader smell like a wolf.

When Yuuri made it out of his room, he was hit with a surprising smell. It smelled like… pizza? The hell? And smoke, fuck a lot of smoke. But the smoke didn’t seem to be newly made so he dulled his panic. If the fire was out, there was nothing Yuuri could do aside from damage control. But who would be making pizza at ten in the morning?

As Yuuri entered the kitchen, he got his answer, sort of. The kitchen looked a hell of a lot worse than he had left it last night. There was flour everywhere, a scorched pizza on the counter and Viktor was frantically searching the cabinet under the sink. Yuuri quirked an eyebrow, “Um, Viktor? What on Earth are you doing?” Bad idea to ask apparently because Viktor attempted to stand up the moment Yuuri spoke. Which, naturally, caused Viktor to slam his head against the cabinet. He swore and backed away, grumbling.

Viktor had flour in his hair and on his clothes. Yuuri chuckled as the man tried to dust himself off before responding, “Well, it occurred to me that despite not sleeping I’m always last up. So I thought I’d try to make you guys some food since I wasn’t doing anything else.” Viktor said sheepishly. The fact that that seemed to be a perfectly fine explanation to him made Yuuri roll his eyes.

“That still doesn’t explain the pizza and the mess.” Yuuri said, turning and examining the pizza. Yep, it was definitely inedible. Yuuri was going to have to rethink the sound and scent muffling of the house since he hadn’t heard or smelled any of it. Or maybe just get some fire detectors. Eh, either would work he supposed.

“Pizza is food.” Viktor said as though that explained why he was making pizza so early, “And apparently cooking is messy.” He shrugged, “News to me. I was trying to clean it up though. All of your cleaning supplies are almost entirely in Japanese so I was having some difficulty though.” Yuri couldn’t help crack a smile at Viktor. It was sweet.

“Viktor, I hate to break it to you, but pizza isn’t a breakfast food. Though the sentiment is appreciated. And since we are in Japan, it would make sense for most things to be in Japanese.” Yuri chuckled looking around the room, “I’ll help clean this up though. We’ll need to crack some windows to air the place out, but I don’t think anything is unfixable.”

They cleaned in silence for a few minutes before Phichit and Chris joined them. True to form though, Phichit simply giggled and assured Yuuri he would supervise Chris opening the windows. Just as the pair returned to the kitchen from opening all the windows in the house, the front door slammed open.

“Yuuri!” It was Minami. In the next second the blond was dashing into the kitchen and launching himself at Yuuri. He ended up knocking the man down, much to Minami’s dismay. While the teen cooed over his mentor in Japanese he nuzzled Yuuri’s neck almost constantly. Yuuri was blushing at Minami’s actions but not pushing him away.

Viktor was getting confused with all the cuddling everyone except him got to give Yuuri so, despite himself and what was probably best for his self-preservation, Viktor spoke up. “Why is Minami nuzzling your neck like that?” Maybe ignoring Minami wasn’t the best idea, but Viktor doubted he’d get a straight answer from Minami at this point.

Minami tensed and before he could growl too loudly at Viktor, Yuuri responded. “I don’t smell much like wolf right now. It’s a bit of a personal greeting, that you’re not supposed to do in front of other’s outside of immediate family.” The last part was in a scolding voice and Viktor knew it was directed at Minami. Despite the scolding, Minami turned around stood, growling at Viktor.

“What the fuck? What did he do to you? He’s recovering right now, and you pick a fight with him?! I have half a mind to-“ Minami was cut off here because Yuuri placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder. True to form, Minami stopped and looked up at Yuuri. “What is it?”

“There’s something we need to talk about seriously. I would prefer to wait until Yuri got here to do so though. Until then, please don’t yell at Viktor.” Yuuri said with a practiced calm. Despite Minami’s previous rage, he melted. Viktor was slightly impressed, he had never noticed how easily Yuuri kept other’s in line, but upon thinking about it Viktor could never recall anyone disobeying Yuuri directly.

There was a snort in the door way and everyone looked over. Yuri was standing holding a cat in his arms, eyes focused on Viktor, Minami, and Yuuri, opting to ignore Chris and his lover for the moment. “Well let’s get this show on the road then.”

-

A few minutes later the four of them were assembled in Yuuri’s office in a parody of a few weeks ago. Phichit and Chris were not there because, as Yuuri plainly put it, they weren’t really involved enough to have a say in the discussion.

Yuri and Viktor were on one side, Yuuri across from them, and Minami had pulled over an extra chair to sit next to Yuuri. The room was tense, the only calm one seemed to be Yuuri, but Minami could easily tell it was Yuuri’s fake calm. “So what’s this all about?” Yuri said, breaking the silence. Just what had Viktor done while he was gone? He had tried calling the elder since finding out about the fight but hadn’t gotten a response.

Viktor and Yuuri exchanged glances, eventually Yuuri took a small breath and spoke, “Viktor told me what he was lying about when he first came here, Minami.” Yuri’s mouth fell open in shock. What the fuck had possessed Viktor to do such a reckless thing? Yuuri continued though, “Turns out he wasn’t looking for a friend’s soulmate, but _his_ soulmate.”

Minami’s heart clenched. Yuuri’s soulmate was fucking _Viktor_?! His brain was flat out malfunctioning. This explains the fight; he couldn’t imagine Yuuri took the news too well. Minami’s brain spun in circles. While he was grasping the situation, Yuri just looked confused. “So what?”

Bad call. Minami snapped out of his trance and slammed his hand on Yuuri’s desk. Yuuri grabbed his wrist to prevent the teen from moving, but it didn’t stop Minami’s tongue. “Fuck you Viktor, there’s no way in hell this can be true. Yuuri deserves way _better than you! I’ll fucking pull out your goddamn fangs and make them into a goddamn necklace. It’ll be lovely. How fucking dare you? Why the fuck would Yuuri ever want to be with you?! You’ve killed our people! Not to mention, everyone knows how many people you’ve slept with in the past two centuries alo-!”_

While Yuuri was glad Minami’s rage made him slip into Japanese, he couldn’t help himself from yanking Minami back, if only to disrupt his attention. “Minami. Please, calm down. They can’t understand Japanese.” Yuuri said giving Minami a pleading look. Viktor looked confused, alarmed, and more than extremely distressed about what Minami could’ve been saying. Yuuri looked so pained so Viktor could only guess what was said. Yuri stared in alarm at Minami, he had never seen the teen so livid. Yuuri spoke in a more commanding voice this time though, “Relax or I will ask you to leave. I didn’t get us together for a fight to break out.”

Minami sighed and slumped back, sitting down in his chair. He wouldn’t disobey Yuuri. “So what’s this mean for us? They were here to find you apparently, just tell them to get lost and problem solved.” Minami said with a scowl, pulling his legs up onto his chair and idly tracing the tacky pattern on the chair’s fabric. “They don’t need to be here anymore.”

Viktor wanted to argue, but he knew that it would be best to let Yuuri explain, “Minami,” Yuuri began, “I would like to see where this leads us. So, if it is okay with them, I would rather they stay for a bit longer.” Yuuri said calmly, looking over at Minami. “If I am going to send them away, it is going to be because I know for a fact it won’t work out. I would greatly appreciate your support Minami. I am not saying that I want them to stay forever. I just want to be certain before I possibly have to spend the rest of my life awkwardly seeing Viktor at every important banquet.”

Viktor zoned out a little, Yuuri was right. If this didn’t work out, Viktor would have to watch Yuuri from afar at every banquet, and then. Fuck if Yuuri had a kid with someone… focus Viktor. Viktor was sure he wouldn’t care. There was no way that this could turn one sided, right?

Yuri decided since apparently Viktor was brain dead, he’d speak up, “We’re fine with that as long as I can keep my cat with me.” Yuri glanced at Viktor, “He would’ve told me if we were just going to leave. We already had made arrangements for us both to be gone for two months, so it’ll be fine.” Yuri ignored that he’d want to stay with or without it being necessary.

Yuuri rose an eyebrow and looked at Viktor, who weakly nodded. “Then it’s settled.”

-

When the four made it downstairs they were ushered into the living room by Phichit, who seemed to be absolutely thrilled. “I’m so glad it worked out, I was worried.” Phichit said as he sat next to Chris on the love seat. Yuuri sat down on the couch with Minami clinging to him, Yuri awkwardly took up the remaining seat on the couch while Viktor sat in the chair. “We should go out though, for real.” Phichit said, not wanting to let Minami remember he wanted to take Yuuri to the hospital.

“Not to be rude, though I don’t care if I am to you, but who the fuck are you?” Yuri said, arching an eyebrow at the excited man. Considering his proximately to Chris, it would be a safe assumption that they were together but that didn’t offer much explanation as to why they were here.

Phichit smiled brightly, “My name is Phichit. I’m a water spirit with the gift of foresight, Yuri Plisetsky. I’m also Chris’s soulmate and Yuuri’s best friend~!” Phichit sing sang out, closing his eyes and tilting his head in what was supposed to be a cute fashion.

Yuri looked speculative but before he could offer his condolences to being stuck with Chris, whom he was trying to ignore, Minami spoke up, “I’m sorry but you’re wrong. You might be Yuuri’s _friend_ but I am his _best_ friend.” Minami said, looking more than a little smug and cuddling up to Yuuri, who merely chuckled and let him.

Phichit scoffed and rolled his eyes, “I’m sorry, little one. But you see, I’ve known Yuuri since before he was even born. You may be a pack member, but Yuuri and I would be friends regardless of species. He’s just your idol. I see him like a real person. So, I am his best friend.” Phichit said with slight venom in his voice. Yuri rose his eyebrows at the insult to Minami. He was surprised though that Minami didn’t argue with the idol part.

“I see him like the real person he is. I know he’s not perfect. I may respect him, but I don’t worship him. Besides, I know for a fact I have spent _way_ more actual time with him than you. We fought a war together. We sleep together. I’ve been by his side for years throughout the war. I’m sorry where were you during that? Oh yeah, nowhere to be found.” Minami retorted. He took his relationship with Yuuri very seriously. He didn’t even notice the appalled looks Viktor and Yuri were giving him at the admission that he and Yuuri do in fact sleep together. Of course they understood that he didn’t mean it in the sexual way, but still.

Phichit glared, “I would have been a liability, besides at least I never tried to kill my-“ Chris put a gentle hand on Phichit’s back and started rubbing a circle into it, cutting Phichit off. He knew his soulmate well enough to know when the other was about to say something he shouldn’t be saying out loud. Most frequently about things others didn’t realize. Such as implications about who a person’s soulmate was. And it was obviously apparent that Phichit was about to get petty. But at Chris’s contact, he took a small calming breath, “Fine. It’s beside the point.”

Yuri blinked, wondering if he should feel bad about causing a fight to nearly break out with his question. Maybe? No, he wasn’t going to think too hard on it.

Phichit took the moment of silence from everyone as a que to start talking again, “I think Yuuri and Viktor should go on a date, who agrees with me?” Yuuri looked horrified, Minami looked at Phichit like he had grown a third head, Yuri rolled his eyes, and Viktor looked like he was debating how good of an idea that was.

Yuuri ran his hand down his face, “No Phichit, we are not doing that.” He said, rolling his eyes. “Even if you paid me or looked into the future to see what I would have the most fun doing.” He paused and thought about it for a moment, “Though if you are dead set on me and Viktor going out together, I do have an idea.”

-

An hour later, all six of them had made it to the destination Yuuri had in mind together. The beach.

They had to travel a little way to find a beach with sand, but they managed. The Yuri and Viktor looked less than amused to have to be there, but the other’s didn’t let them damper the mood. Yuuri assured Minami, Phichit, and Chris that he would help Viktor and Yuri find a good spot to set up their blankets and umbrellas. The three seemed appreciative and took it as their que to race each other to the water.

“So do you guys not like the beach because of the vampire and sun thing or something else?” Yuuri asked as the trio scanned the beach for a spot. Yuri pointed a spot out and lead the way. The beach was more crowded than Yuuri would like but he supposed the smell of the ocean would be enough to cover his bases with wolves. And if not, not many know what he actually looks like so it should be fine. Thank god.

Yuri rolled his eyes at Yuuri’s question and let Viktor respond, “Mostly the vampire thing. We burn easily. Once you manage enough of a tan you don’t really burn as much though. Hence Chris.” Viktor said, running a hand through his hair, squinting behind his sun glasses. Damn blue eyes. Viktor glanced around, “Aren’t you concerned about someone…?” He left the question unfinished, unsure just how careful Yuuri needed to be about keeping the omega thing under wraps.

When they got to the spot they started setting up, “There are a lot of wolves here, but I’d be incredibly surprised if anyone recognized me. Plus, the ocean’s scent is overwhelming this close.” Yuuri was surprised that Viktor cared enough to ask, but despite that he made sure his voice came across calm. During the war, everyone smelled a lot like everyone. No one payed much mind to scents. Plus, considering his reputation on the battlefield, most just assumed Yuuri had gotten laid when he smelled like omega. It boiled Yuuri’s blood to hear it, but there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t risk too much.

Yuri frowned, choosing to hop into the conversation, debating Yuuri’s logic. “You seemed to have a plenty large enough army during the war, how can you be so sure no one will recognize you?” Hell, even when Yuri was in incognito mode in Russia he had trouble hiding his identity from other vampires. Not to mention vampires were much less likely to be out and about in Russia during the war. But this, this was a public beach in the middle of summer, hell in the heart of werewolf territory.

Yuuri spread the umbrellas and stuck them into the sand, “I had each volunteer screened extensively. If someone was too young, they were disqualified immediately. Minami was the youngest by far, the next youngest was close to my age. Anyone who could recognize me, I would recognize first most likely.” Yuuri said calmly, sitting down and stretching slightly, fiddling with the zipper on his light pull-over. He wanted to go swimming, but he knew the bruise on his back would be ugly. Not to mention it would attract a lot of attention, even if he was feeling considerably better. He had broken out some of the medicine he had left from the war to speed healing. He would be sore for another week and probably should hold off on anything overly intense, but swimming should be fine. It would mainly be the pain to be concerned with.

Viktor frowned, more than a little uncertain as to what Yuuri had his army screened for, but he tried to put it from his mind. The point was, Yuuri was going to be fine. Yuri plopped down on one of the blankets and stretched out, like a cat, yawning. “Wake me up when we’re leaving.” He said, closing his eyes and pretending to fall asleep.

Viktor snorted and sat down, pushing Yuri’s shoulder, “I wasn’t born yesterday. Vampires can’t sleep unless they’re with their soulmates, and last I checked the blanket wasn’t yours.” Viktor said chuckling and turning back to the wolf.

He was about to attempt a lighter topic when he felt Yuri yanking him back around. Viktor froze, alarmed. Yuri’s expression was a mixture of pure horror and disbelief, “What did you just say?” Viktor normally would have laughed at seeming to know more than Yuri but something about his student’s voice unnerved Viktor.

“Chris told me yesterday that vampires can only sleep when they’re with their soulmate that’s asleep. Chris can sleep when he’s with Phichit who’s asleep, why do you ask?” Viktor said, looking skeptical. Had something happened to Yuri while he was in Russia? Did he meet someone? Had he managed to sleep sometime and not realized his soulmate was beside him?

Yuri stared for a moment before letting go and turning away, “No reason. If you try to talk to me I’m walking away so let me zone out.” Yuri grumbled, laying down and closing his eyes. He was damned and determined to force himself to sleep, there was no way in fuck that what Viktor said was true.

Viktor turned back to Yuuri who was mirroring his own confused expression, “Odd, how about we go check out the boardwalk if you don’t want to swim?” Viktor asked, suspecting Yuuri wasn’t in the mood for swimming with how anxious he looked. Yuuri nodded and let Viktor lead the way to the boardwalk, “So um, do you come here often? Er, during the summer that is, it’s nice.” Viktor said only realizing after he spoke how cliché the question sounded.

Yuuri couldn’t tell if Viktor was attempting to flirt, so he just responded normally, “No, not really. I haven’t been back here during the summer for any real amount of time in years.” He said, stuffing his hands into his pull-over’s pockets, “Kind of like the hobby thing except worse.” He said, kicking at some of the sand.

Viktor hummed and nodded in understanding, “Do you like the beach?” He asked, curious. He didn’t really know much about Yuuri’s preferences after all.

“Um, sort of? I’ve only really gone with Minami a handful of times. When I was a kid I had to take a body guard so it wasn’t very fun.” Yuuri admitted, leading the way into one of the souvenir shops, “What kind of stuff do you like to do in your free time?” He said, pretending that the cheap knick-knacks were actually interesting to look at.

“Well, I ice skate sometimes. I also really enjoy playing with dogs. Oh, and I love sight-seeing. If you wait a decade or so and go back it’s almost like it’s an entirely new place~” Viktor sang happily, completely lost with the thoughts, “It’s really interesting traveling around and meeting people who have a completely different set of experiences than you. Sometimes you have so much in common it’s scary. Or you can meet someone who has nearly nothing in common with you. Once I met an elf in Paris who took me to all these underground clubs and it was insane. Apparently vampires can get high. It was news to me.”

Yuuri stared at first before smiling. Viktor’s emotions seemed so human, for lack of a better word. He was excitable. It was endearing. Yuuri snapped himself out of it though, Viktor was only endearing because he was acting similar to how Minami did. That’s it.

Before he could be caught, Yuuri looked away and focused on the souvenirs. Yuuri started to panic more than necessary. Was he starting to not hate Viktor? Okay maybe not just not hating, but still. What if he gave Viktor false hope? What if Yuuri mistook his own feelings for something else and fucked this up? What if this was all- Yuuri’s thoughts were cut off by the warm hand on his shoulder, the hand started rubbing the skin underneath it gently. Yuuri felt his muscles relax and he looked back at the hand’s owner.

Viktor’s calm blue eyes met Yuuri’s eyes easily and gave a comforting smile, “You don’t look so good, why don’t we step outside?” Yuuri weakly nodded and let Viktor take his hand. Viktor led him outside and down the boardwalk until they found a bench in a nearly deserted area. Yuuri sat down and Viktor sat next to him. “Sorry, I don’t really know how to do this soulmate thing.” Viktor apologized.

Yuuri nodded, having tensed up again and looking as far in the opposite direction of Viktor as possible, “Yeah, same. I- I really haven’t done any of this whole relationship thing before. So um, I guess I’m just… uh panicky would be the right word I guess.” Yuuri admitted, feeling so unsure and vulnerable. He hated it with all his heart, but at this point there was little that could be done about it.

Viktor nodded in understanding. He felt like he knew so much about Yuuri who knew next to nothing about him. That wasn’t exactly fair, Viktor should fix that. Maybe it would even help lighten the mood? “Do you want to hear something weird, Yuuri?” He asked, looking over at the other. Yuuri looked alarmed but nodded, a little afraid at what Viktor was going to say. “Vampires rarely have biological family units. It’s so difficult for vampire couples to get pregnant that when they do, most don’t want anything to do with the child because they simply weren’t expecting it. There’s a lot of orphanages. Though, vampire children are nearly impossible to kill so they’re hardly needed. Plenty do get adopted, and other’s make their own family unit out of friends.”

Yuuri listened, highly curious since he knew next to nothing about vampires and how they had children. He found himself asking the question he wondered while Viktor spoke, “How were you raised?” Yuuri’s voice was so gentle that it startled Viktor to a degree. It was uncharacteristic of Yuuri to use such a voice anywhere near Viktor.

“My parents were very old when they had me. I was unexpected and they definitely didn’t want me. They had tried for over a thousand years before giving up, who could really blame them? Vampires can’t die of old age, but they can get quite irritable if they live too long. Most end up just letting themselves be buried to be dug up later if they’re ever needed. They kind of go into a lack-of-blood induced coma. My parents had been considering it before I was born. I’m honestly surprised they didn’t try to kill me before I was born. That’s also a very common practice among vampires if they think orphanages are too lowly or horrible to send an unwanted child too. Or even just for health reasons.” He paused, “Back to the point, I ran away to a nearby orphanage when I realized I was inconveniencing them. So both sort of? I ended up meeting Chris and Yakov shortly after so it wasn’t too bad.” Viktor mused, not at all alarmed. It was incredibly common by vampire standards. Chris and Yuri had similar histories. Not to mention the culture of not raising your children only perpetuated the notion that it was okay to not raise your children.

Yuuri stared at Viktor, horrified. He had no idea that’s what it was like for vampires. He felt his heart clench. His mind imagined a tiny child being shunned by their parents and left to fend for themselves, even if that’s not how it happened most of the time. Yuuri ignored how it mirrored his childhood and focused on what it must have felt like for vampire children. He grabbed at his hoodie where his heart was and felt tears prick his eyes. It should never be normal to be abandoned by your parents. That was sick and twisted. How could Viktor be so calm about such a horrible thing?

When Viktor glanced at Yuuri, his eyebrows shot up as he turned to face the wolf. Yuuri’s face was getting the familiar pinkness but large tears were rolling down his cheeks. Alarmed, Viktor moved closer and brushed Yuuri’s bangs from his eyes, “Yuuri? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Why was he crying? Viktor had only told him about- oh fuck. Right. Biological family was important to wolves. While Viktor was able to grasp that for most species, he forgot that other’s would think of biological family’s importance when hearing about vampires.

Yuuri wiped at his eyes and squared his shoulders, he turned and looked Viktor dead in the eyes, a familiar sense of determination in his appearance, “I misjudged you Viktor. I really did. I think, no, I know now that I really didn’t know enough about you to reach the conclusions I did about you. I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Out of all the things Viktor had ever anticipated Yuuri doing, apologizing was certainly not one of them. Like, he would sooner expect Yuuri to have attempted to inforce Greek mythology as the religion of the wolves first.

Viktor blinked a few times, stunned. He was trying to process what Yuuri was saying, so he nodded slightly, “Apology accepted, I think.” He paused, debating saying more and decided against it. He stood and offered Yuuri his hand to help him stand, “Let’s walk somewhere. We’re right by a beach yet we’re having a heart to heart by the fishing docks, let’s find someplace better.”

Yuuri nodded and led the way to a rocky outcropping with tiny tide pools to the left of the beach. No one was there oddly enough. Yuuri took his shoes off and set them out of the water’s reach and started walking around the tide pools, letting Viktor follow after removing his shoes and waiting for the vampire to talk again.

Viktor was debating what to say. He had plenty of questions, he just didn’t know if he had the right to ask, “Why do you hate vampires?” He asked, watching as Yuuri carefully avoided stepping into the water. It was cute but really weird at the same time. Yuuri was at a beach, how was he expecting to get out of touching water?

Yuuri frowned and glanced at Viktor before responding, “I was always told that if I wasn’t careful one would happily suck me dry before I had a moment to blink. I know it was just to get me to stay away from strange vampires, but still. But when I got a little older… I got warier. I knew that if me and Mari died the pack would be in chaos. Everyone did. So everyone was on higher alert constantly. I was expected to present as an alpha and easily take control, but the elders were afraid someone would kill me before I got there. So I had to be on guard against everyone and everything.” Yuuri kicked a rock into the tide pool. “Looking back on it I know it’s stupid. I’d only seen a handful aside from you and Yakov before the war. They were scary but…” Yuri seemed to intentionally trail off, suddenly realizing he didn’t want to continue.

Viktor frowned, Yuuri couldn’t just leave him hanging like that, could he? After a few moments of silence indicating, yes Yuuri could and he will unless Viktor did something, Viktor prompted Yuuri, “But what?” He asked quietly. He had known Yuuri always hated vampires and the reasons he had given so far made sense. Fear instilled at an early age and all. But he knew that “but…” indicated that there was one last piece to the puzzle.

Yuuri braced himself, trying to act like what he was saying didn’t matter, “They were scary, but you had scared me more.” Yuuri turned and looked Viktor in the eyes, pushing himself to continue despite his own uncertainty in admitting this, “I don’t know if you meant to or realized it, but that day we first met, I thought you were going to kill me. You looked like something straight out of a nightmare.”

Viktor stared, stunned. He caused Yuuri to hate vampires? While that made the focused hatred much more logical he turned the idea over in his mind about how on Earth he could have scared Yuuri so badly. Yuuri had simply walked in on- oh. That made a lot of sense. Vampire’s pupils dilate when feeding, combo that with Viktor’s dripping blood lips and it would have freaked anyone out. Especially since, if Viktor recalled correctly, he was the first vampire Yuuri met. Hell, Yuuri had a right to be afraid, Viktor probably had looked murderous on reflex alone at being interrupted. “I-I didn’t mean to and I didn’t realize it. I had absolutely no idea.” Viktor said, feeling slightly guilty at apparently having traumatized Yuuri when he was younger. 

Yuuri, thank god, didn’t press Viktor for why he hated wolves. He didn’t want to know. That and Yuuri had a feeling it was going to sound petty in comparison. He doubted it would be petty, but Yuuri knew better than to borderline dare Viktor to try and give a better reason than his. “It happens. I was unlucky and you didn’t know it was going to happen. It’s my fault I let my childhood emotions get the better of me.”

Viktor didn’t respond to that, opting for silence. He let the silence linger for a while before asking Yuuri another question, “Why did you mean by screen earlier? With your army for the war?” It had been bugging Viktor. Screening was unprecedented most of the times for armies. Or at least, screening that involved not letting in your youngest and strongest soldiers.

Yuuri was kneeling near a pool and didn’t bother looking over this time, “I carefully selected my army. I knew that it wasn’t going to accomplish anything physically measurable. I needed to make sure my army knew that and that no one was offering to die when they had plenty of life to live. I made sure each individual was intensely questioned to assure that no one was doing it for suicidal purposes. I needed an army that knew what was at risk and okay with losing their lives. If anyone truly insisted on helping and they didn’t pass the guidelines I planned for the normal part of the army, then I let them be a medic or a help disperse rations or even a cook. If I couldn’t prevent the war than I was at least going to be careful, you know?”

Viktor blinked, not what he had been expecting. He figured something else like, wolves physically peaked at a surprisingly late age or older individuals had more experience and listened better. “Why didn’t you prevent the war? It was obviously your idea.” Viktor found himself asking since they were on the topic, admittedly a little bitterly.

Yuuri pushed a small rock into the water and stood, “We would have been attacked by someone when I took control if I hadn’t started the war. If I didn’t do something to surprise everyone, people would assume I play it safe. Cliché as it sounds, the best defense is a good offense. Or the other way around or something. It was easier to start things on our rules than someone else’s.” He explained, walking over to Viktor.

Viktor frowned, “Why vampires though? You have plenty of other geographical borders for enemies.” Viktor said, honestly deciding now would be the best time to guarantee that the rumor that Yuuri started the war because of Viktor was false.

Yuuri threw Viktor a surprised look. “I thought it would be obvious. Vampires are near impossible to kill. Anyone else and the casualties would have doubled easily and then I’d have most of my army traumatized over killing someone. People were still traumatized of course, but in a much more manageable way, as twisted as it sounds.”

Viktor stared back, “I think I seriously misjudged you Yuuri.”

-

Hours later the six piled back into the house. Chris and Phichit said they were going to shower first in the shower not attached to Yuuri and Minami’s room while Minami said he’d shower first in the attached bathroom. Considering Yuri, Viktor, and Yuuri hadn’t really gone swimming it was fine with them. Yuri went upstairs to his room and Viktor didn’t stop him. Something was definitely off about how Yuri had been acting since earlier on the beach, but he knew better than to push the matter too fast.

Yuuri seemed like he wanted to say something to Viktor, so Viktor patiently waited for him to speak. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait too long, “Viktor, um I’d like to ask you something. It’s pretty weird but, I wanted to ask just to… ugh, what I’m trying to say is: Viktor can I smell you?” Yuuri said, a dark red blush creeping up his neck. He looked humiliated. Viktor didn’t respond for a moment which just caused Yuuri to freak out more, “It’s just, you could tell we were soulmates because of my blood’s smell. Werewolves mostly identify soulmates by scent and well, I’ve never actually tried to smell you specifically and I just-“

Viktor cut Yuuri off there, speaking, “I understand, what do you need me to do?” He said, trying to stop Yuuri from getting too flustered. It was fair after all. Yuuri hadn’t let Viktor smell his blood, he hadn’t even realized what that meant. Yuuri had a right to have his own confirmation physically.

Yuuri looked up at Viktor hopefully surprised, “It’ll be best if I could smell, um, at your neck. Scent is really concentrated there.” He said, before quickly adding, “I’ll let you near my neck at the same time so you won’t be like vulnerable or anything.” Yuuri knew how protected vampires kept their necks. It was understandable, mostly because wolves were fully capable of tearing a vampire’s neck out, even in human form. It would kill a vampire simply put.

Viktor considered the offer before nodding agreement. “Don’t worry about it bearing your neck though, I trust you.” He said, leaning forward and down, turning his head to the side to give Yuuri ample room to work with. Viktor was confident in the fact that they were soulmates, there was no denying it after smelling Yuuri’s blood. Viktor also knew that if worse came to worse he could probably get Yuuri off before he bit through his throat. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but Viktor figured it was only fair.

Yuuri slowly leaned up and gently touched the tip of his nose to Viktor’s neck. He took a small inhale and Viktor could visibly see him tense. It nearly gave Viktor a heart attack. Did he smell wrong? What was the matter? Was Yuuri going to flip out or something?

Viktor’s fears were washed away though as Yuuri relaxed and turned his head so he could rest it on Viktor’s shoulder. He seemed utterly lost in the moment, “We’re soulmates.” He whispered with such tenderness it made Viktor’s heart swell. His tone was so gentle and caring that Viktor couldn’t help but wish to hear more of it. Viktor was debating hugging Yuuri to prolong the moment but Yuuri was starting to move away. He looked up at Viktor with gentle eyes before smirking and the spell was broken. His expression schooled back to its normal neutral state. There was a hint of fondness in his eyes but it could just be Viktor’s own wishful thinking.

“Goodnight Viktor.” Yuuri said, giving the vampire a soft smile and excusing himself. He left Viktor standing there, wondering if what just happened really happened.


	9. The Ring is not a Romantic Comedy

Yuri tried not to stare on the trip home. He really did. He would only watch when he was sure Minami couldn’t see him. Did Minami know that they were soulmates? No, if he did that would mean he knew before Yuri did, and that just wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. Yuri bit his lip, watching Minami, wondering if he was being too obvious and if anyone else was noticing. The answer was yes, Phichit had noticed it the instant Chris, Minami, and himself had walked back over to Yuri at the beach, but he had refrained from commenting.

Yuri wasn’t good at being subtle. He was trying, sure. But not trying very hard apparently because he was staring so much Minami nearly asked him to stop. It wasn’t so much that it was bothering him, it was just really awkward that Yuri didn’t think he noticed his intense stare.

-

The second they got home, Minami bolted for the shower. Yuri looked heart broken, but decided he’d manage. He dragged himself to his room and plopped down on the bed. He couldn’t quite decide how he wanted to handle the situation. He needed to know if Minami was in fact his soulmate. He also needed to figure out how Minami felt about the situation in the event that they were soulmates. Yuri didn’t allow himself to ponder the matter too long before deciding he would have to test it the old fashion way. But should he try with the vampire or wolf method? Or of course he could flat out ask mentally.

No, asking would be bad. Especially if Minami wasn’t because that could upset Yuri’s _actual_ soulmate. Vampire style would be risky too since that would involve drawing blood. Which left wolf style. Which, if Yuri recalled would have a lot to do with scent. But how could he smell Minami’s scent more intensely than he had already? Yuri knew the house reeked of it. He also knew he smelled it quite frequently because apparently Yuuri hid his scent with Minami’s. So how could Yuri smell more of it than before?

He ended up idly pondering the issue for hours until he noticed the sun starting to rise. As he tossed and turned, wishing he could sleep like some lucky bastards, it dawned on him. When does anything smell the most like themselves? As gross as it was, when they sweat. For most it would be difficult to get someone to sweat around you and get close enough to be certain you felt nothing, but Yuri had confidence in himself. Besides, if what he had gathered about Minami was right, the younger would never pass up an opportunity to spar.

That is how Yuri came to the conclusion that he should hide in the kitchen until Minami showed up for breakfast or some form of food to get an answer about whether they were truly soulmates. It didn’t take long until said blond bounced into the kitchen with Yuuri trailing behind him. They were happily talking in Japanese and didn’t even notice Yuri until he cleared his throat.

Yuuri didn’t seem all that surprised, but Minami flat out jumped. Yuri almost felt bad. He knew he couldn’t be looking his best at the moment. He had barely brushed his hair and changed his clothes since last night. Not to mention he was positive he looked pissed as hell. Yuri was just too tense to try and look more casual. He needed to know if Minami was really his soulmate.

Minami was staring at Yuri in mild horror. He was honestly getting pretty afraid he had done something to piss Yuri off without noticing it considering the look Yuri was giving Minami. If Yuuri hadn’t been next to him Minami was sure his fight or flight would have kicked in. He had no idea why he felt so on edge. Maybe his soulmate was rubbing off on him because Minami wasn’t really that threatened by Yuri anymore to illicit this kind of a reaction.

Yuuri was going to break the silence but Yuri beat him to it. “Minami, spar with me. If Yuuri’s injured someone has to be able to protect him. Unless you want to rely on Viktor.” Yuri knew he had to hit hard and fast if he was going to get Minami to agree to spar with him. If he beat around the bush and warmed up into pushing Minami’s buttons, it would be too obvious that he just wanted to spar with Minami under any circumstances. Or at least, Yuri thought it was less obvious to do it this way.

It seemed to work. Yuuri’s eyes widened in shock while Minami visibly tensed. Definitely hit a nerve. Minami took his job of protecting Yuuri very seriously, and the fact that Yuuri had gotten hurt and Minami hadn’t been there to protect him was enough of a sore spot to rile him up, “You’re on, but I’m going to kick your ass.” Minami growled before striding out of the kitchen. Yuuri cast Yuri a surprised glance before following the teen.

Yuri was confused for a moment until he heard the front door, “Come on! Let’s do this!” Minami called as he went outside. Yuri quickly followed the pair until they found their way to a nice open clearing not too far from the house. There were some posts set up that had seen better days and a shed nearby with a padlock on it. This must be their training grounds.

It was hot enough that Yuri knew his plan would work. All he had to do was get Minami to work up a sweat and he would be able to tell one way or another. Yuri was surprised though when Minami took his shirt off and handed it to Yuuri, “I’m not ruining a perfectly good shirt.” Minami stated as he went to the middle of the field, ready to go. Yuri avoided checking out the younger, knowing Yuuri was watching him and removed his own shirt. He had been wearing his shirt with the tiger on the front and he didn’t want to get it dirty since Minami was so confident that this was going to get messy.

While Minami had tanned skin marred by numerous scars of varying sizes, Yuri’s skin was smooth and pale, not a single imperfection. Nearly only vampire fangs could damage vampire skin permanently, that and being only two hundred something years old meant there were very few serious injuries Yuri had encountered. Minami growled low in his throat, shifting to a more offensive stance. His eyes flashed a glow, meaning he was definitely serious about this. He was starting to let his instincts kick in. Here was a vampire without any protection up and perfectly uninjured skin, he needed to fix that.

Yuri merely bit his lip in slight horror. He felt his heart tug and anger seep in. It nearly confirmed for Yuri that Minami was his soulmate. Those were definitely his soulmate’s emotions. Yuri still needed undeniable proof though. In the next second he was lunging at Minami, ready to give it his all. Minami was known for his speed and Yuri his strength, so it was an interesting match. Yuri could deflect Minami’s hits like they were bites from a mosquito, but that didn’t change the fact that it was still annoying. Plus, Minami was speeding up, apparently having decided to warm himself into the fight. Unfortunately, that was not working out for Yuri. Minami was just too damn fast.

In the field this would mean that Yuri’s first goal would be to slow him down as much as humanly possible, but he knew that the best way to do that would be to severely harm the other. Which, of course, he couldn’t do because this was sparring. Hell, even though Yuri had riled Minami up prior, Minami still seemed to be completely calm. If Yuri didn’t know any better he’d even suggest that Minami was enjoying the whole event.

Minami was enjoying it honestly. He hadn’t gotten any practice in for over a month and he did not want to get rusty. He knew he was slower than normal but seeing as he was still giving Yuri a run for his money he didn’t dwell on it too long. Yuri was just as good as he’s always been. Minami smiled as he let himself fall into a comfortable pattern. Hit, hit, kick, duck, and lunge. Just as he was feeling himself relax into the motions his entire world got flipped.

Or rather, Yuri tripped him and pinned him to the ground. Minami was flat on his back, blinking up at Yuri, stunned. Yuri was kneeling with one leg on either side of Minami. One of Yuri’s hands was holding himself up on the ground. Yuri’s other arm was pinning Minami down across his chest, forcing Yuri to bring their faces closer together. Both were out of breath and panting heavily, sweat damp on their skin. Minami was immensely glad that Yuri had decided to pause the fight for a moment.

Something was off though. Yuri’s expression wasn’t quite right. He looked like he was on edge, waiting for a shoe to drop. He also was only breathing through his mouth. Minami was too, but he also knew he shouldn’t be, “You should breath through your nose, it’ll help level your breathing.” Minami said with a small smile, inhaling loudly through his nose to demonstrate.

Minami froze, eyes widening as his mind went blank. Yuri stared at him expectantly, waiting for Minami to finish reacting. Minami’s brain slowly flickered back on and just started screaming basic instincts to the teen. Soulmate, mine, kiss, touch, feel, claim, be claimed. Minami felt tears prick his eyes. He had absolutely no clue how or why he was only just now noticing, but it didn’t matter. He had found his _soulmate_. Nothing else mattered to him in that moment.

That line of thinking is probably what possessed Minami to reach up and yank Yuri down into a kiss. Yuri froze and Minami let go instantly, horrified with himself, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t-“ It was knee jerk reflex. Wolves wouldn’t be surprised about kissing upon realizing you found your soulmate, but that didn’t make it less rude.

Yuri looked dazed and confused, “No, no it’s fine. I just…” He looked away, his flushed cheeks darkening, “I didn’t think that’s how you would have reacted, I thought you’d be, I dunno… disappointed?” He admitted, risking a glance down at Minami beneath him. Yuri would have moved by now if he wasn’t relishing in how close they were. If Minami was going to reject this, Yuri at least wanted one half-decent memory.

Minami started speaking in rushed Japanese, before stopping himself, taking a calming breath, and trying again. “Why would I be disappointed? Apparently my soulmate is a badass mysterious guy with a soft spot for cats. What’s bad about that?” Yuri wondered if that’s really a translation of what Minami had said. He might just have to pick up Japanese with how frequently Minami seemed to switch between the two.

Yuri frowned down at Minami, “Well if Yuuri’s reaction is anything to go by, you were going to be less than thrilled. Not to mention we’re not exactly on the best of terms. We did just get over the whole sworn enemy thing after all.” Yuri said, leaning back on his heals so Minami could sit up easier. Yuri continued, “Not to mention I did hurt your beloved Yuuri.”

Minami nodded in agreement and seemed to slowly process the information until part of it reached his brain, “I do look up to Yuuri for his emotional reactions to things since he reacts reasonably, but… I thought we were on good terms. Aren’t we friends?” Minami asked, sitting up and fixing his best puppy dog expression onto his face.

Yuri blinked and nodded quickly, “We are friends! Of course we’re friends.” Minami scowled in response, not exactly buying Yuri’s words.

Minami cleared his face of any emotion, startlingly, and spoke again, “Do you not want me as your soulmate?” If his voice hadn’t trembled at the end Yuri would have thought that Minami did in fact not care one way or another. He clearly did though. Yuri carefully opened up the connection to get a better grasp at Minami’s emotions. Minami visibly startled, but he let Yuri in regardless. Minami was positively terrified internally. He clearly wanted Yuri to be okay with this. He was just trying to avoid pressuring Yuri into saying he was okay with this.

Yuri shook his head, face starting to heat up as he truly began to appreciate the fact that Minami did want to be with him. Minami wanted to be Yuri’s soulmate. It was bizarre to say the least, “I do. I just…” Yuri hesitated, how could he phrase this? He wanted Minami as a soulmate. Definitely. But, did he know Minami enough to have a right to say that? No, probably not. They needed to get to know each other better.

Minami seemed to pick up on Yuri’s emotions and grasped Yuri’s hand tightly, “I’ve got an idea.” He said with a smirk, confidence oozing from him. Yuri rose an eyebrow waiting for Minami to continue, “Let’s go on a date!” He said with a bright smile, as though it was the most logical thing to suggest in the world. Not an ounce of doubt in Minami’s eyes. It was heartwarming and startling for Yuri.

“What kind of date?” Yuri asked hesitantly, he didn’t really know what Minami would think of as a date. He was only a teenager after all. There were millions of different types of dates and Yuri was concerned that Minami was on entirely different page than him.

He didn’t need to be worried though, after a second of hesitation, Minami happily sung back a response, “Pizza and a movie, something cozy without having to go out in public and attract attention.” That was pretty good for a spur of the moment idea, Yuri had to admit. If they had gone out in public to a date locale they probably would have stood out. A vampire and a werewolf who both had a reputation enough to run the risk of being recognized if anyone paid enough attention, yeah blending in wouldn’t even be a fathomable idea.

Yuri found himself nodding in agreement without thinking, “Sure, sounds good to me.” If he had spent half a second thinking he would have realized the issues in eating pizza as part of the premise of a date, but hindsight it twenty-twenty.

Minami pushed himself further away and stood up, happily turning around and yelling to Yuuri, “Guess who just found their soulmate!” Yuri looked over at Yuuri and laughed. Yuuri was clearly speechless. Yuuri had probably figured something like that had happened when he saw Minami kiss Yuri, but confirmation was still another thing entirely. Minami looked absolutely ecstatic and that’s all that mattered.

-

Minami reassured Yuri he would figure everything out and that they could do it tonight if he wanted. Yuri agreed saying he had nothing better to do that night anyway. It was endearing that Minami seemed to determine that it was his sole job to make sure his night with Yuri was perfect. So endearing that Yuri nearly didn’t get irritated that Minami said they should use Yuri’s room and wanted Yuri to leave so he could set up. Apparently the living room was too open and setting up in Minami’s and Yuuri’s room would be too embarrassing. Yuri admittedly didn’t quite understand why it would be embarrassing, but he didn’t feel like arguing would do any good.

This is how Yuri found himself in Viktor’s room, sprawled across Viktor’s bed. Viktor was looking less than amused but he figured he couldn’t really kick Yuri out. “You know, maybe we should get you dressed nicely for tonight? Or find out some things about wolves to help things work out well?” Viktor suggested, he mostly just didn’t want to be sitting around with Yuri when he could be doing just about anything else.

Viktor usually never minded spending time with Yuri, but with Yuuri somewhere nearby it made it less appealing. Viktor normally didn’t feel the need to rush things, the whole being over two-thousand-years-old does that to a guy, but he was finding it difficult now that he _had_ to take it slow. Regardless, he knew Yuri would only leave when he wanted to, “Ugh, I can’t, we’ve been over this. I don’t want to dress too nicely, apparently pizza and a movie is a super casual thing. And who would we even ask about wolves? They keep that stuff to pack members. Not to mention, who the fuck would trust _us_ with that information?”

Viktor sighed, why did Yuri have to be so down all the time? It was just draining at this point. Unfortunately, Viktor had a stronger will than Yuri accounted for and he ended up caving slightly. Viktor dressed Yuri in what he considered to be much more fashionable than Yuri’s normal clothes. It was simple tight black skinny jeans and a nicely fitting white shirt. Yuri had wanted to wear either something tighter or something with some kind of big cat print but Viktor said that would mess with the look. Or rather, Viktor said if he wore a tight shirt with his tight pants he’d look more like a stripper going to work than a normal person going on a date. So Yuri just went with Viktor’s outfit.

Before Yuri could argue too much there was a knock on the door. Viktor called out to the other to come in. Yuri had been expecting Minami but it was actually Yuuri. He looked a little uncomfortable when he realized Yuri was there but relieved at the same time. “Oh good, you’re here. Minami was worried you got kidnapped.” Yuuri said, closing the door and leaning back against on it.

Viktor visibly pouted, of course Yuuri would only come talk to him if he needed help finding Yuri, but still. Yuri was about to tell the older to get lost when he realized the opportunity presented to him, “Oi! What’s it like to smell your soulmate for a wolf and your soulmate’s a vampire? I didn’t expect Minami to react like that.” He hadn’t expected Minami to kiss him is what he meant.

Viktor lightly smacked Yuri upside the head for being rude. Yuri would complain about being hit, but judging by how immensely uncomfortable Yuuri now looked, he refrained. Plus, Viktor was barely containing his curiosity. “Well, it’s very overwhelming. You just kind of, want to wrap yourself in it? It’s hard to explain without being able to use any actually helpful comparisons about how other scents smell like to us.” Yuuri was scratching the back of his head, praying that that was a good enough explanation for Yuri.

Viktor looked stunned, “Is that how it was for you, Yuuri?” Viktor asked without thinking, tilting his head to the side. He would happily oblige in cuddling Yuuri given the opportunity. Yuuri looked horrified, appalled with himself for actually telling Viktor what he had felt. Viktor was only getting more and more intrigued with Yuuri’s delayed reaction.

“I don’t recall.” Yuuri managed, ignoring that it was a blatant lie. Carefully he shifted his eyes to Yuri and seemed to pull on his badass-wolf-leader persona, “I need to say some things to you.” He glanced at Viktor, “Whether he hears or not doesn’t matter to me.” Viktor nearly flinched at how cold Yuuri’s voice had gone, but he tried to focus on the situation at hand.

Yuri turned the idea over in his mind before he spoke, “Go for it, he’d probably just make me tell him later anyway. Saves me the trouble.”

Yuuri nodded and sat down in the remaining chair that was angled towards Viktor’s and turned out towards the bed. He completely tuned out Viktor, as much as he’d love to deal with his own soulmate business, he had to be the pack leader Minami needed him to be. “I know Minami doesn’t need me to protect him, but I will warn you that if you end up being serious about him, you better brace yourself.”

Yuuri seemed to think this explained everything. Yuri, not so much, “What do you mean by that? Brace myself for what?” He glanced at Viktor, feeling like he was missing something.

“There has never been a vampire-werewolf soulmate pair accepted by the pack.” Yuuri dead panned, having not realized it wasn’t obvious. Soulmates were precious of course, but there had never been evidence of anyone with a vampire soulmate being allowed to stay in the pack. Last time Yuuri heard about someone, it was only from Mari’s musing that it was unfortunate that everyone was still so old fashioned. It made Yuuri cringe to realize that the war probably didn’t help that.

Viktor’s brows furrowed and he responded instead of Yuri, “Never?” Yuuri nodded in response, now watching his soulmate carefully. He had been avoiding thinking about the entire thing in regards to himself. There were very few hard rules of the pack, but vampires being kept out was one of them. Honestly, Yuuri’s situation could tear the new-found strength of the pack in two. “But you’re the pack leader, if you’re okay with it, who else matters?” Viktor pushed.

Yuuri shook his head, frowning, “I am, but it’s the group’s decision. It’s not like the old days, so few should take it personally, but it would probably be a bad idea to stay in Japan, it would be dangerous. Some would consider it an insult to being a wolf.” He glanced at Yuri who was flip-flopping between horrified and stunned, “It’s unavoidable. But not unstoppable.” Yuuri stood, “I have to go. I need to start checking out the political scene at the very least, I’ve been ignoring it since the end of the war. I need to feel out how people are reacting to the end of the war and if old ideals… still stand.”

Yuuri moved to the door and paused with his hand on the doorknob before turning back around and facing the pair, “I support this. I just need to make sure it’s safe.” He bit the inside his cheek, unaware of how panicked Viktor was feeling, “Nothing bad will happen that I can stop. It’s just complicated. I can handle this.” With that, Yuuri slipped out of the room.

Viktor stared, frozen at the space Yuuri was just occupying. The look on Yuuri’s face said anything but he could handle it. Before Viktor could stop himself he tried to feel out Yuuri’s emotions. He only got a glimpse of them before Yuuri sealed them off. Yuuri was terrified. Should Viktor do something? _“I’ll talk to you if I get too overwhelmed.”_ Yuuri whispered into his mind. Viktor guessed that would have to do.

-

Minami was bouncing by the front door, waiting for the food to come. He had admittedly ordered food from five different places. He got pizza from one, curry from another, hamburgers from the third, noodles from the fourth, and some sweets from the last. He knew it was a bit excessive, but he couldn’t remember what Yuri preferred. The entire time since deciding they should have a date Minami had been buzzing around trying to get everything perfect. He had re-arranged Yuri’s room and moved the furniture to the extremes. It looked amazing by this point, and he couldn’t wait to show Yuri.

Ugh, who was Minami kidding? He was absolutely freaking out. Yuri was his soulmate? The hell? What did that mean for everyone? What did that mean for him? What was he even supposed to do with himself now? How could he learn more about his soulmate and keep an eye on Viktor, Phichit, and Chris? Well, there was one benefit to all this. At least Minami didn’t have to feel guilty about his crush on Yuri anymore. He might have not really cared for Yuri during the war, but once he realized Yuuri was serious about forming a friendship with the vampires, he had done his best to rethink things. By vampire standards, Yuri wasn’t the worst. Yes, he had scarred Yuuri, but that would heal with time. Plus, it was insanely impressive. Viktor had never managed to scar Yuuri at all. He had injured him, sure. But Viktor had never cut deep enough for anything to last after the injury healed.

This morning had been nice too, sparring with someone after so long. It felt good. Especially since he knew he could go all out with Yuri without worrying about going too far. Minami ran over the plan in his mind again, get the food to the room, get Yuri, amaze him with the new décor, eat, and watch a movie Yuri picked out. Wait, wait, fuck. Yuri doesn’t need food. How could he forget that?! Minami started slamming his head against a wall. Maybe that was why Yuri was so quiet earlier when he suggested it. God fucking damn-

The knock at the door snapped Minami straight out of it, he yanked the door open and felt his face flush. There were two deliverers standing there looking concerned. They appeared to have been from different places, meaning at least one of them had waited there in horror, hoping the slamming would stop. “Uh, hahaha sorry about that.” Minami muttered as he grabbed the money from his pocket and proceeded to pay.

“It’s fine, just be careful sir.” One of the deliverer’s said. Minami felt like such an idiot, but thanked them profusely and closed the door. He dashed the food upstairs to Yuri’s room before coming back down and checking his appearance in the mirror. He was wearing a pastel pink floral sweatshirt with ‘Hug Dealer’ printed on the front. It was huge on him, unfortunately. It was a gag gift from his brother that he was supposed to grow into. Instead, he didn’t grow. It went mid-thigh on him to the point that Minami was half tempted to not wear pants with it. He refrained though, thinking that would be a little too exposing for a first date. Instead he opted to wear short white shorts that went to just a few inches after the sweatshirt stopped.

He was fiddling with his hair for the tenth time when there was another knock. Thankfully, the other two deliveries that followed were there so soon after that Minami didn’t even have the chance to shut the door and put the food upstairs. After shutting the door and locking it with the last three deliveries in his hands, Minami bolted upstairs. Minami even remember to grab some blood packs.

-

Five minutes later Minami was presenting the room to Yuri. Yuri gave a low whistle and refrained from questioning what the fuck Minami had been aiming for. Yuri found out soon enough as Minami rambled off about how apparently this was the ideal set up according to the internet for a date night in. Yuri had other ideas on what _kind_ of date night it was for but it was still endearing. And comforting in the weirdest way.

All the furniture was pretty much gone, leaving the mattress pushed up into one of the corners. The entire room had sheets hung and arranged so that it made it seem like one big blanket tent. The ceiling light was off, but the room was dimly lit with strands of Christmas lights. In the center of the room there was a television set up with a massive pile of blankets in front of it. To the right side of the television was a box of what appeared to be movies. To the left side was a low to the ground table covered in food with a few packs of blood on the side, guess Minami did remember.

Yuri felt himself relax, the lighting and numerous blankets had that effect. But it also felt strangely intimate. Yuri guessed that cleared up any debate about whether or not Minami was open to the notion that they were romantic soulmates. Most soulmate pairs were romantic. Some though, could feel a distinct pull to platonic. Yuri wasn’t sure he could take only being with someone platonically if he wanted to be with them romantically so he had avoided thinking about his own feelings. He couldn’t get his hopes up. But this cemented the fact that Minami probably didn’t feel like this was platonic. Or maybe Minami just had zero concept of what this looked like. Both were possible.

Minami beamed and quickly shut the door behind them and ushered Yuri to the box of movies, suggesting he pick one, “So I sort of stole all the blankets and pillows in the house that weren’t claimed for all of this. I washed them first so it’s all good though!” Yuri rolled his eyes as he examined the movies. There were plenty to choose from. He was flipping through them, trying to find one that might set the mood appropriately. Maybe something romantic? As long as it wasn’t scary, Yuri knew he’d be fine. Maybe something like a romantic comedy? That would be good. “There’s nothing heavily romantic in there or any kind of discreet porn, don’t worry. Closest to romance it gets is romantic comedy. I figured bringing stuff like heavy romance or porn would just make things uncomfortable. I had Yuuri sort for me.”

Yuri snorted, coming off amused and thanking the heavens that Minami had sorted them. It would just be Yuri’s luck to accidentally pick out a porn DVD and Minami be too polite to point it out. Yuri skimmed the DVDs again and again before opting for looking at the ones in a large DVD organizer. Finally, he settled on one. _Ringu_ with red bold font on a black background. Yuri didn’t know much about Japanese, but he knew that it translated to ring. It must be a weird romcom or something. Plus, the name sounded familiar, so it had to be well-known. It wouldn’t be Yuri’s first genre choice, but he’d rather have a light-hearted atmosphere than anything serious. He pointed it out to Minami, “This is the one I want to watch.” He said confidently.

Minami took the case from him and rose his eyebrows, surprised. He chuckled before speaking, “There’s an English version of this one, we can watch that version. Though it isn’t as good, it might translate better than the Japanese one.” Minami said with a cute smile, Yuri must have picked well. Yuri watched as Minami flipped through the DVD cases, looking for the English version. “Hey Yuri?”

“Yeah Minami?” Yuri asked, praying he wasn’t going to have to pick another one. The other’s looked like shit. Or rather, this was the only one mysterious enough for Yuri to be unsure whether or not there would be cats in it. Still though.

Minami found what he was looking for and turned to look at Yuri over his shoulder, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. “Can I call you by a nickname? This is just getting weird. Yuuri is like my brother and you’re…” He didn’t finish and Yuri was glad he didn’t. Yuri was two hundred percent certain he was blushing. He was hoping Minami would suggest a nickname. Otherwise it would seem like Minami wouldn’t care who people thought he was talking about. If the nature of Minami’s relationship with both the Yuris were the same then it wouldn’t matter to Minami. But if Minami felt the nature of his relationship with Yuri and Yuuri were different, then it would make sense that he’d want a differentiation. It helped ease Yuri’s fears that something was going on between Minami and Yuuri.

“Yeah, you can call me by a nickname, the only one I have is what my grandfather calls me, so you’re going to have to come up with your own.” Yuri said, unable to stop his heart from skipping a beat at the huge smile Minami threw his way.

Yuri arranged the blankets in front of the television so they could both sit with plenty of empty floor in front of them. Minami set up the DVD and was moved all of the food to the empty space. Yuri couldn’t help but wonder why Minami had bothered with a table but oh well. Yuri was just debating if he should change into comfier pants since he was going to spend his evening sitting on the ground but Minami snapped him out of it, “Yu-kun.”

Yuri threw him a confused glance, unsure of what the fuck Minami had just said, “Say what?” Yuri asked, grabbing some food, knowing that at least pretending to actually want to eat would make things less weird. Yuri knew the blood would be unsatisfying to help his nerves or hunger anyway.

Minami shrugged, “I’m just trying out nicknames.” He winked and plopped down, pulling his legs up to his chest and starting the movie.

Two hours later Yuri had come to many realizations. One, _The Ring_ was not a fucking romantic comedy. Apparently it was a horror film that was considered one of the scariest ever made in English. Two, delivery food sucked. He had tried just about everything Minami had gotten and they all tasted horrible. Hell, he even tried adding the blood. Nope, still tasted like shit. Even the blood was mediocre so he didn’t drink more than a sip. Yuri wasn’t entirely sure what had come over him with the blood issue. Part of him was aware that it most likely had something to do with Minami’s proximity to him. Yuri was just short of literally dying of curiosity about what Minami’s blood would taste like. He knew better than to just ask though, it would be beyond inappropriate. Yuri was just going to have to get over it. Regardless, the final major realization Yuri had had was the fact that Minami was indecisive. He had tried no less than fifty nicknames for Yuri during the movie.

Admittedly, Yuri probably wouldn’t have noticed most of them if he hadn’t started clinging to Minami once he realized it was a horror film. If had been a monster Yuri would have been fine, but did it have to be ghosts? Or whatever the fuck the little girl was? Regardless, as the credits rolled, Yuri was slowly becoming more and more aware of their position.

The food had long since been pushed away or placed back on the table. Minami had laid down after moving the food and since the movie was only getting scarier, Yuri found himself right next to Minami in no time. Yuri, as a rule of thumb, hated anything he couldn’t physically hurt. Which was most things in horror movies unfortunately, so he had been terrified the entire time.

Yuri had honestly been expecting to feel Minami’s tiredness at any moment for the last hour of the film. When the film lulled to an end, Minami was still wide awake. Minami looked over at Yuri and rose an eyebrow, “Something tells me you didn’t know it was a horror movie?” He asked, giggling and smiling. Yuri’s hair was messy and he looked more on edge than normal. He was visibly tense and he hissed in response.

“If you figured that out, why didn’t you suggest another movie?” Yuri snapped, getting more and more embarrassed about how much he had clung to the other. If Minami knew, he should have changed the movie, asshole.

“I wasn’t entirely sure, plus this version was less scary than the Japanese one, I thought it might not scare you so much.” Minami said, shrugging, rolling away and pulling blankets around him in a cocoon. Minami tilted his head, “Which nickname did you like best?” He figured this would be the best time to ask, since he had brainstormed numerous ones aloud. He didn’t want to call Yuri something that he didn’t like after all.

Yuri glared and averted his eyes, unsure on how serious to take some of Minami’s suggestions. “Yura. Yura was good.” He admitted, glancing at Minami. Minami was flat out ecstatic at the information though and Yuri barely had time to brace himself before he was being tackled.

Minami was humming happily and simply snuggling against Yuri. At first Yuri didn’t react much but eventually gently wrapped his arms around Minami. It felt good. Yuri relaxed and just before he could close his eyes and see if he could drift off, Minami was whispering to him, “You’ve barely had any blood, are you okay?”

Minami’s voice was low and concerned. He hadn’t moved to look up at Yuri but his grip tightened around him giving away Minami’s emotions. “I-I’m fine, it’s just not very appealing to me right now. I can last a while without feeding, so don’t worry.” Yuri would be a flat out liar if he said that he couldn’t feel Minami’s nervous energy. The kid was barely keeping himself from flat out jittering. Endearing, but disconcerting none the less.

Minami seemed to hesitate on something, so Yuri let himself work it out, knowing if push came to shove he could just ask Minami what was the matter. It didn’t take long for Minami to reach a conclusion, though. Slowly Minami pushed himself away until they were laying arm’s length apart on the floor, he had a slight blush on his cheeks. He met Yuri’s eyes none the less though, “Would my blood taste good?”

Yuri nearly chocked on air. That was such an intimate thing to offer. And Minami just did it, without any real confirmation on their relationship? It honestly felt like a trap. No one in their right goddamn mind would offer that on a first date. “The fuck? You shouldn’t just ask that.” Yuri heard himself saying, more than mildly appalled that Minami was so casual about it. Was it no big deal to him?

Bad reaction apparently because Minami folded his arms to his chest as though putting a physical barrier between him and Yuri. He emotionally felt like he had just been slapped. It hurt. Minami knew it wasn’t a real rejection, but it felt like it. “I’ll go, I’m sorry.” Minami had left his emotional connection with Yuri a little too open and consequently he was feeling both of their emotions crashing down on him. Minami wasn’t thinking through it too much admittedly as he felt tears start to slide down his cheeks. He felt like he was going to have a panic attack.

His world froze though as Yuri pulled him close and held him tightly, refusing to let the other go. “Your blood would taste like heaven. Offering blood is just seen as a really intimate thing is all.” Yuri grumbled into Minami’s hair. He couldn’t exactly let his soulmate break down over a silly misunderstanding, “Plus it could scar permanently, even for you.”

Minami gently wrapped his arms around Yuri, allowing himself to be soothed. Minami’s nervous energy faded away as he wrapped his mind around the fact that Yuri was just startled and concerned. He cared, even slightly. Maybe Minami was just too spent, but he let himself drift off wrapped in Yuri’s arms and enjoying his scent. His mind filled with how wonderful it felt to know he was in his soulmate’s arms and that it was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I had a major creativity block while trying to write this? So I am high key sorry it took so long. Literally nearly broke down because of it. So um hahaha oops? I also nearly tried to procrastinate by starting another story all together? But I still had creative block so it didn't even work for procrastination except to frustrate me. Anyway, I have my first art history exam of the new semester Thursday afternoon so I highly doubt I'll have an update until next weekend since I am high key stressed about it. Regardless! I really hope you liked the chapter! Sorry if you don't like plinami since that was what most of the chapter was. Also I might stop taking the chapter names so seriously since there is at least 40% less angst from here on out? But yeah, tell me what you think. The comments are the only thing that really helps remind me that people care about what happens. I hope you liked this! Until next time~!


	10. Hug it Out

When Minami came to collect Yuri from him, Viktor decided he might as well go downstairs to check on what he had been missing. The sun was just setting when he walked into the living room. He couldn’t help but stare at the scene on the couch as he walked towards the unoccupied love seat to sit down. On the couch Phichit, Chris, and Yuuri seemed to be attempting to occupy the same exact spot. Well not really, but still it was an odd sight. Chris was mostly sitting up on the left side of the couch. Phichit was laying down with his head in Chris’s lap. Yuuri was laying chest to chest with Phichit. Judging by how they were shifting though, they probably just settled into the position.

Viktor figured that Chris wouldn’t like the arrangement, but his friend seemed utterly relaxed. He was idly running his fingers through Phichit’s hair. Phichit and Yuuri were whispering to each other, but they stopped when they noticed Viktor. Phichit barely glanced at Viktor, while Yuuri stared for a moment, looking surprised. He was visibly tensing up. Viktor ignored the stir of jealously in his chest in favor of attempting to act unbothered, “Don’t mind me, I just figured I’d come down and socialize.” He threw an unamused glance at Chris, “I thought maybe I could steal some time with my best friend.” There was no real heat in his words, but he knew it was the least awkward thing he could probably say.

Phichit sat up, pulling Yuuri with him, it was awkward but he still managed to make it work. “Actually, it’s a good thing you’re here. Yuuri was just talking about you.” Phichit said, throwing him a bright smile, completely undeterred by Yuuri’s sputtering and attempts to discredit what he said. After some grumbling, Yuuri gave up arguing, so there was probably some truth to the statement.

Yuuri piped up with slight irritation in his voice, “What Phichit meant, is that I was musing about some of things that involved you.” He said, scooting away from his friend and sighing. He ran a hand through his hair and pushed it back where it stayed for all of half a second. “I was probably going to talk to you about it soon, honestly.”

Viktor got the impression that that wasn’t exactly true, but he’d take what he could get, “What were you musing about?” Viktor prompted, having a feeling that Yuuri wouldn’t actually tell him without being directly asked.

Yuuri frowned as he debated how to put it to Viktor. He didn’t exactly want to flat out say all of his present problems were thanks to Viktor’s and Yuri’s presence, but they were. On one hand all of the problems could arguably be solved if he just told the pair to take a hike, but even Yuuri knew that would ultimately solve nothing and merely delay the issues at hand. There were plenty of things to stress about. Viktor being his soulmate. That was probably the most disconcerting one. Then Minami and Yuri’s questionable relationship. Obviously, nothing was set in stone, but if Yuuri knew anything about Minami, it was that he would certainly give Yuri is full attention and effort. Finally, and arguably the most pressing one, was the fact that half the pack was flipping the fuck out and probably going to figure it out soon.

It was Yuuri’s fault, admittedly. He should have attempted to be more discreet about the whole thing. How did he not realize that suddenly looking for an omega still looking for their soulmate right after the war was going to lead to questions? People had obviously jumped to conclusions. Not to mention when he told everyone that he no longer needed help finding someone, it made the next assumption obvious. Previously, they had just assumed that he was looking for his soulmate, but now that he had stopped looking the obvious conclusion was that he had found them. I.e. their pack leader had found his omega soulmate. Which meant so many things for the pack. A leader finding their soulmate was something to be massively celebrated. It was just as celebrated as a birth in the leader’s family. It was the promise of hope. The promise of a future. The entire pack had cause to celebrate. No one had gotten to truly celebrate in a long time, but the new peace and promise of a new hope would be monumental for them. Yuuri, not for the first time, felt guilty. There would be conflicted emotions about Viktor being his soulmate. And outrage and concern, the distrust was so strong for vampires, that some would certainly think it was a lie.

Yuuri blinked rapidly, remembering suddenly that Viktor had asked him a question and he had just zoned out in his own little world, “Um, I was just debating if there was a way to delay the pack finding out so I could figure out what my next step is going to be. I don’t really want anyone to breathe down my neck right now.”

Viktor felt guilty. He had started to get a real appreciation for how attached wolves were to their packs. This couldn’t be easy for Yuuri. He just didn’t know how much he could push or pull without pushing the boundaries of what Yuuri was comfortable with. Of course Viktor wanted to help, but he also knew that there wasn’t much he could do to help, “I’m sorry, I know this must be hard for you.”

Yuuri hummed before continuing to explain, “Two of my old mentors and respected pack members are trying to get me to agree to let them visit. Minako and Celestino. You might have met them before.” Yuuri said looking over at Viktor. If they had met him, then there would be absolutely no hiding how odd the situation was.

Viktor blinked a few times, the names definitely sounded familiar. He couldn’t doubt that. As he wracked his brain, he vaguely managed to remember something, “I don’t think I’ve met them. Yakov told me a bit about them. They were your father’s advisors, weren’t they?” Viktor knew bringing that up probably wasn’t the best idea, but he did know about them to a degree and pretending otherwise would be useless.

Yuuri nodded, “Old family friends, they advised me for the first year after I became the pack leader. They won’t be easy to hide something from. If they come, I doubt we’ll be able to keep them from finding out everything.” Yuuri knew he was understating it, but still. He hadn’t seen either for years. They had hovered around him so much while he was a child that even when he was younger he knew that they wanted him to think of them as family. He had refused and kept them distant, they deserved to live their own lives, not fussing over an old friend’s child.

Viktor nodded in understanding, debating whether asking Phichit would help predict the outcome, Phichit beat him to the punch, “I would look, but it would be a waste of time if we’re being honest. Vague details that are destined to happen would be easier to see, but there isn’t much that is supposed to happen coming up. And even what has the highest likelihood of happening isn’t set in stone, since I have no intention of letting something like that happen.”

That was apparently news to Yuuri, who immediately sent Phichit an alarmed look, “What has the highest likelihood of happening?” Phichit clearly looked like he had _not_ intended to let Yuuri know. Yuuri only seemed to look more and more nervous as Phichit seemed to panic and stall.

“Nothing, it won’t happen. Don’t worry. Pinky swear its nothing.” Phichit said nervously smiling. Viktor could tell he wasn’t the only one who actually _heard_ Phichit’s heartbeat speed up. He was clearly panicking at the thought of Yuuri finding out. Chris was visibly debating whether or not to try and get in between the pair.

Viktor was even considering hopping into the mix before Yuuri responded, “Than I guess I won’t worry.” Yuuri said, shrugging before leaning back over the right side of the couch, stretching and groaning. “Okay, this has been fun, but I think I need a change of scenery, who wants to come with?” He said, stretching more and popping his neck and shoulders. It was obvious he was just trying to change the focus of the conversation, but no one questioned it.

Phichit breathed a sigh of relief, “I would say I want to, but I’m guessing I’d hold you back.” Phichit said with a sad smile, “You have that ‘I fully intend to do something no sane human would even attempt to do’ vibe going on and I don’t feel like breaking any bones again.” The tension visibly melted between the two as Yuuri chuckled.

“You caught me. I haven’t stayed this stationary since that time I got that virus.” He said with a chuckle, standing and stretching. He glanced at Chris, as if expecting him to respond to his offer.

Chris rolled his eyes, pulling Phichit closer to him, “You know, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to give Phichit a heart attack.” He shook his head, “I’ll sit this one out, I’d love to get some bonding time in with my sweetheart’s best friend, but I think Viktor can suffice in keeping an eye on you.” Chris said, throwing a wink Viktor’s way, seemingly snapping him out of his own little world. Viktor hadn’t quite realized the offer was to him as well.

Yuuri turned to look at Viktor expectantly, raising an eyebrow, “What do you think, can you keep up?”

-

Viktor debated why Phichit had opted out at first. Yuuri had explained that since it was night, he could go out without being concerned about anyone noticing and paying too much mind. Or rather, if anyone did, they would doubt whether or not it was him based on the fact that it was dark and hard to make out features with certainty. Apparently even wolves doubted their vision at night.

Normally, this would lead to the conclusion that it would be a great time to go out on the town, which Viktor was completely down for. Yuuri had other plans though, he said since Phichit wasn’t with them it would be a great time to stretch and start getting back into the swing of things when it came to physical exertion. This is where Viktor regretted tagging along to a degree.

By stretch, Yuuri meant flat out sprint. Viktor would know, he’s chased him enough times to be able to tell Yuuri’s different speeds. Thankfully, Yuuri stayed in his human form as he ran. At first, Viktor debated why Yuuri stayed human, but then he remembered most clothes did not survive a transformation, so he kept his mouth shut.

-

An hour later, Viktor found himself forcing Yuuri to stop. Yuuri was panting heavily, clearly teetering on the edge of being able to stand and flat out staying conscious. Viktor wasn’t really sure what to make of Yuuri at this point. He didn’t _look_ upset. Just exhausted. But no normal person would push themselves so far so fast to the point of nearly passing out for no reason.

They were in a park now, Yuuri panting heavily as he barely managed to stay seated on a bench. Viktor sighed and sat down, wondering if Yuuri had always been so self-destructive or if this was a new occurrence, “You can talk to me, you know.” It didn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. Phichit implying that something bad could happen, and then this?

Yuuri acted like he didn’t hear Viktor. He just kept panting heavily before his gasps for breath turned into coughs. The coughs got more and more violent. Viktor frowned and tried to rub Yuuri’s back, hoping the fit would subside. When it continued Viktor knew he had to do something, carefully he stood, “I’ll be right back, I’m going to get you some water, okay?” Yuuri nodded in response, not wanting to risk trying to speak.

-

When Viktor returned, Yuuri has his legs pulled up to his chest. His head was tucked down to hide his face. Viktor pretended that it wasn’t alarming, he sat down next to Yuuri and offered the bottle of water he had obtained, “Drink some, you need it.” He said as he stretched his legs out. He noticed how when Yuuri took the bottle and sat up to drink some that Yuuri was angling himself to make sure his face was hidden. “You can let yourself feel Yuuri. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Yuuri capped the bottle and held it close to his chest, “It’s not that easy Viktor, I have to be made of steel for everyone, not someone so weak that they cry every day.” His shoulders began to tremble and Viktor had the feeling that Yuuri was crying. “Feeling is useless, it won’t help anyone.” Yuuri muttered bitterly, curling up tighter.

Viktor frowned, could Yuuri really think that? Viktor turned the idea around in his mind. From what he knew Yuuri didn’t exactly have the most stable upbringing, and everything considered, emotions wouldn’t have helped him much up to this point. That didn’t mean they weren’t important though, “Yuuri, you need to feel, this isn’t good for you.” Viktor said softly, grabbing Yuuri’s free hand and giving it a firm squeeze. “Feeling helps you understand people and it’ll help you be a better leader to your people. You don’t have to force yourself to not feel.”

Yuuri stayed silent for a moment before responding, “I’m just being selfish. I can’t take everything so personally.” Viktor hummed in understanding, knowing Yuuri was just getting started, “I mean, I’m thrilled for him, of course, but what’s going to happen now? There’s so much up in the air right now, how can I be level headed? There’s no way in hell this will all go over smoothly. I can’t let stupid politics tear everything down, but there’s no way to avoid what’s probably going to happen. How on Earth are you so calm? You’ll have a similar problem, won’t you? If this goes well?” Yuuri seemed near pure panic as he looked over at Viktor with pleading eyes. It tugged at Viktor’s heart in the worst way.

Viktor offered a weak smile, “Yes I will. But if this goes well, then we’ll both have someone to rely on during it.” He said trying to give Yuuri a calming and sympathetic look. Viktor was worried, but he had accepted that if this worked out the rest wouldn’t matter. He wanted to be able to help Yuuri. He wanted to be someone this fragile man could depend on. Yuuri was so much more fragile than Viktor had ever imagined that it only made Viktor wonder what other things he didn’t know.

Yuuri starred for a moment, unsure how to react before a gentle smile crossed his face. “Thanks Viktor, I didn’t really think about it like that.” He admitted, scooting closer to him, slowly leaning against Viktor. Viktor knew Yuuri was going slowly to give him more time to react if he didn’t want him to touch him. Viktor let him though, he had a feeling Yuuri would appreciate the contact. Judging by the happy hum Yuuri gave, Viktor was right. Viktor could feel Yuuri relax more and more into him, so before he could talk himself out of it, Viktor wrapped his arm around Yuuri. Yuuri stiffened slightly before relaxing again. He nuzzled his head closer to Viktor, relaxing as he did so, “Tell me about yourself, I don’t really know anything about you, y’know.” Yuuri mumbled.

Viktor chuckled, amused. He could tell Yuuri was falling asleep based on his heartbeat. It was endearing that despite being barely conscious, Yuuri was still trying to appear in control of himself. Viktor mused to himself about calling Yuuri out on it, but decided against it, if he nudged the soulmate connection, he could feel Yuuri’s sincerity. It was heartwarming, so Viktor obliged, “How about something sweet, like when I met Yuri? That was fun.”

Yuuri nodded weakly into Viktor’s chest, his breathing evening even more. Viktor had started to tell the story but before he got too far he realized that Yuuri was definitely asleep. Slowly he ran his fingers through Yuuri’s hair, wondering how much of this was simply out of being emotionally exhausted and how much wasn’t. Viktor hummed and pulled at the soulmate connection, indulging in feeling Yuuri’s emotions. Big mistake though, because moments later he was out like a light.

-

Yuuri groaned as he slowly started to wake up, he was being dragged away from the warmth and it caused him to wake up faster than he otherwise would. His eyes groggily opened and he was met with a concerned pair of teens. They were wolves, definitely. It would have alarmed Yuuri more if he felt danger from the pair. One appeared to be a male alpha and his friend a male beta. They were concerned, not aggressive.

Once Yuuri finished processing that, he forced his heels into the ground, making the pair stop, “What’s going on?” He knew he probably should just ignore them and go back to Viktor, but they didn’t mean him any harm. He shouldn’t be rude for no reason. Though, he was admittedly irritable about being dragged awake.

The alpha looked at the beta with concern and hesitation, odd, considering Yuuri knew most alphas would just do whatever, without asking someone’s permission. The beta spoke up though, “You were asleep next to a vampire, we thought it would be good to get you away to safety before he woke up and did something to you.” He hesitated, “We really just wanted to help, we weren’t going to do anything to you.”

It took a few moments for what the teen said to process in his mind. Yuuri could already tell that he could take both easily in a fight so he couldn’t quite figure out why they’d think he’d be concerned that they were goin- oh dear. His cheeks flushed deep red and he took a small inhale through his nose to test his theory. Yep, he definitely reeked of omega right now. That’s what he gets for getting drenched in sweat and then falling asleep. They thought he was helpless because he was an omega. Lovely. How should he react? If he did anything too unusual they’d remember him and then they wou- no stay calm Katsuki. You can do this.

He relaxed his stance and offered up a smile, “Thank you for your concern, I really appreciate it, but you see, I have to go back to him. He’s a guest at Mr. Katsuki’s and I have to keep an eye on him.” Nice save Yuuri, he applauded himself. He knew they couldn’t have recognized him so it would be a safe lie.

The pair seemed to debate the thought, visibly wondering whether or not to believe him, “Are you sure? I know the war’s over, but having…” The alpha cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say would seem highly offensive to Yuuri. Mostly because it would imply that Yuuri couldn’t take care of himself in such a situation, which was a guaranteed way to make Yuuri’s blood boil. So, good save.

“I’d be fine taking him in a fight, I fought in the war.” Yuuri said, faking cheerfulness, as though he was proud of the accomplishment. He did have some omega’s in his army, and they were all immensely proud of making it. The beta and the alpha looked surprised and impressed simultaneously. Yuuri almost felt bad for misleading them, but he knew it couldn’t really be helped at this point.

“And you’re sure you’re going to be alright?”

-

When Viktor woke up he groaned, feeling at a loss for what was going on. His brain was picking up all of his senses but he couldn’t help but feel like nothing really mattered. He just wanted to go back to-- sleep. He had been asleep. Sweet, awesome. Fuck there was so much to think over about it, but he had a more pressing concern. Yuuri was not next to him.

He peeked his eyes opened and frowned, Yuuri was walking towards him with two teenagers watching his back from a few yards away. They looked like they were distrustful, as though bracing for some kind of fight. That woke Viktor up completely. If Yuuri’s back was turned there was no way he could properly fight, especially with his injury. Viktor was about to stand up when Yuuri started talking, “Relax, they’re worried you’re going to hurt me.”

Viktor frowned, before nodding in understanding, that made sense. As Yuuri got closer, Viktor scowled, Yuuri smelled wrong. Not like the normal oddness he had when he had Minami’s scent on him, but a different kind, “Why do you smell like that?” He found himself asking, sending a slight glare at the two teens, who amusingly jumped slightly.

Yuuri yawned and scratched the back of his neck before stretching, “They were worried about me, I smell very obviously of omega right now, so they offered to help hide my scent. I would have refused if we were any closer to the house, but we’ll probably run into other people before we get back.” He rolled his shoulders and neck, clearly still waking up.

Viktor stood and watched the teens finally walk away as he responded, “What did they do?” He knew he shouldn’t be possessive or anything, but he was trying to get a better grasp on wolf etiquette. He had previously assumed sharing scents wasn’t that common of a thing since no one had caught on to Yuuri’s secret yet. This seemed to contradict that notion though.

Yuuri glanced over his shoulder as the two walked out of sight, “They just let me nuzzle their necks. It’s incredibly inappropriate everything considered but they insisted that this was a bad part of town. If I refused, they might have suspected something was up more than they already did and tried to find out more about me later.” Yuuri supplied making a face.

Viktor scowled as they started walking in the way he thought they came last night, “I don’t get anything about wolf etiquette so I wouldn’t know.” Viktor truly did feel lost. Maybe he should try asking someone about it if Yuuri and Minami were going to continue to leave him essentially in the dark.

Yuuri hummed in acknowledgement, leading them down a trail that looked vaguely familiar. “Most people generally only let their soulmate’s scent on them. Or very close family members and friends. People without soulmates avoid hiding their scent because it makes it easier to find their soulmate. Omegas are a slight exception because most hide their scents regardless and opt for smelling like their soulmate completely once they find them, instead of a more balanced mix.” Yuuri paused, debating whether or not he should give his personal opinion on the matter before continuing, “Getting the scent of strangers on you or letting strangers get your scent on you is incredibly inappropriate unless there is some danger that it’ll help avoid. Though most just use it as a way to flirt. Not everyone is sold on monogamy with their soulmate.”

Yuuri had added the last part in an attempt to give a more complete explanation of how wolves handle soulmates and scents. Though, Viktor, naturally took it another way, “Are you trying to hint at something?” He said carefully, knowing that if Yuuri was implying that he wanted a more open relationship Viktor shouldn’t react too reflexively.

Yuuri didn’t understand for a few moments, before he realized what Viktor was getting at, “Oh no! No, that’s not what I was getting at, I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it of course, but I wasn’t trying to imply anything. I just…” He frowned, trying to figure out if there was any logical reason why he had told the last part to Viktor, “I wanted you to be aware, partially for a better understanding, but also in case it came up and there wasn’t any danger. It’ll make some reactions make more sense.”

-

The information did help reactions make more sense very soon. Or rather, when they finally got back after getting weary glances from everyone they passed that was a wolf, it explained why Minami proceeded to flip out.

The instant they were in the clearing surrounding the house, a blur of blond was coming straight at them. Viktor nearly tried to block it out of reflex alone, but the blur was too fast. Thankfully, when it reached them, it stopped and revealed that it was only Minami. He looked relieved for all of half a second before he made a revolted face, “Dear lord, someone thought you were in that much danger? Did something happen? I thought you just got lost or kidnapped. Not held for ransom and had to sneak away.” Minami said, covering his mouth and nose with his hand, looking Yuuri up and down.

Yuuri nodded and a faint blush crossed his cheeks, “Hahaha, no. Apparently sleeping next to a vampire on a park bench while smelling like omega makes it seem like I’m some kind of victim.” Yuuri responded, shrugging and walking past Minami towards the house. Viktor kept to his left while Minami walked on his right, “I think I’m finally going to have to invest in some wearable scent blockers, I am not a fan of the looks they gave me. Too much pity and worry. I can handle myself.”

Minami said nothing in response as he opened the door for them to the house. They walked down the hallway towards the living room, inside Yuri was stretched out on the couch. “I didn’t think you were actually in danger of getting lost Viktor, I more of say it as a joke, not a challenge.” Yuri said, running his eyes up and down the pair.

Viktor huffed, “We did not get lost. Yuuri knew exactly where we were the entire time.” Despite the fact that Viktor was talking Yuri was looking Minami and Yuuri over carefully, probably noticing the distance between them.

“Is he contagious or something?” Yuri asked, almost actually sounding concerned if you listened hard enough and used a generous amount of imagination.

Minami shook his head, “No I just don’t want to smell like him.” He said simply. Immediately his face flushed and he looked at Yuuri in panic, “Not that I don’t want to smell like you do when you smell normal. I love smelling like you, it’s great. I just don’t want to smell like strangers. It would be weird, so um-“

He was clearly going to continue if Yuuri hadn’t interrupted him, “Minami, it’s fine either way. I’m not offended. I’ll just go take a shower, okay?” Yuuri barely waited for a reaction before he walked away, as cool and collected as though Minami wasn’t flipping out to a degree behind him.

Viktor, by this point, had sat down on the love seat and watched Minami with a confused expression. He knew what Yuuri had explained about scents earlier but he wasn’t entirely sure what the fuss was over. He stayed silent though as Minami walked over to the couch and sat down since Yuri sat up more and moved his legs. Apparently Yuri’s questioning glance was enough to distress Minami to the point of pulling his legs to his chest and wrap his arms around them.

“Ugh why now?” Minami murmured, clutching his legs tighter, “You guys are probably confused. Most people prefer to smell like their soulmate, but settle for smelling like family in the meantime. I don’t want him to think I’m replacing him at the first chance I get.” Minami whispered. He seemed very distressed. Yuri was obviously debating saying something.

Minami’s emotions were just getting worse and worse, Yuri had to step in. “Well then we’re just going to have to convince him otherwise.” He said quietly. He was obviously unsure of how much he was allowed to saw in the situation.

Minami froze for half a second before his head jerked up, a determined smile on and the spark of playful mirth in his eyes. “You’re right!” He bounced up and put his finger on his chin in thought. Admittedly it was nearly impossible to take him seriously with how cute he looked, but neither vampire pointed that out thankfully. “I guess just clinging to him won’t do much. I’ll need to be more creative.” He started pacing in an odd pattern around the living room, running through all the different ideas that came to him. He could try making Yuuri some of his favorite food, but that could come off as more of an apology, not so much reassurance. And it would probably end in food poisoning. Maybe going out on the town? Apology again. Ugh, just how should he do this?

-

When Yuuri eventually left his room, freshly washed from the shower, he wasn’t all that surprised to hear that everyone was down stairs. Slowly he made his way down, getting sleepy from the lack of food he had eaten today. When he entered the room, Phichit and Viktor not-so-subtly looked over at him. Minami would probably have looked too if he wasn’t too busy bolting to Yuuri’s side. “Family meeting!”

Yuuri gave him a confused look as he was pulled to the empty spots on the couch. Chris and Phichit occupying the love seat and Viktor in the chair. Yuuri frowned as he was gently pushed onto the couch, “What about? Did I miss something?”

Minami shook his head, grinning happily, “Nope, not at all~” Yuuri took the opportunity to examine everyone’s expressions. Phichit looked like he was trying to stop himself from peaking at the future, nothing unusual there. Chris looked amused and entertained as he ran his fingers through Phichit’s short hair. Viktor was trying not to look too uncomfortable. Yuri was clearly trying to look careless but was failing miserably and just watching Minami quite frankly.

“Okay, so what’s this about, Minami?” Yuuri prompted, more than a little confused. It clearly wasn’t an actually important meeting; no one would take so long to spit it out if it was.

“Weeellll, I just thought I should tell you something important and make sure everyone knew.” Yuuri gave Minami a weary look. Earlier with the scent thing had been uncomfortable enough, but Minami attempting to fix it might just be worse. Minami grabbed Yuuri’s hands and turned Yuuri to face him. “I want you and everyone to know that you are my dearest friend and I wouldn’t trade you or abandon you for the world. Whatever happens, happens. And that’s fine with me as long as it isn’t goodbye for us. A lot of things are changing, but I don’t want our relationship to suffer because of it.” He threw Yuuri a cheeky grin, “You’ll always be my pack leader, and if anyone has a problem with that, then I guess they don’t realize who they’re up against.”

Yuuri blinked a few times. It was a bold thing to say. It was right on the money though. Neither of them had any idea of what was going to happen because of all of this. Yuuri didn’t notice when he started tearing up. He only noticed when Minami started panicking and flailing his hands. “Yuuri! That wasn’t supposed to make you cry that was supposed to cheer you up!”

Minami’s concern was endearing. Yuuri started blatantly laughing, how could he have been worried? This wasn’t going to be the end of their friendship. _“You goofball, what am I going to do with you?”_ Yuuri said in Japanese as he whipped the tears from his eyes.

Minami scowled, “I was being serious, don’t laugh.” When Yuuri rolled his eyes Minami huffed, “Fine, plan B then if you don’t appreciate plan A, you asked for it.”

-

“Why did you think this was going to cheer me up Minami? Like, I know it’ll cheer everyone else up but seriously? You know I hate these.”

“Stop complaining, if you hadn’t laughed I wouldn’t have to do this.”

“This is not how you apologize; this is a punishment.” Yuuri retorted.

Apparently, plan B was to pull out old home videos Minami had made when they were younger. It was supposed to remind Yuuri of how even back than they were inseparable? Maybe? Yuuri didn’t understand, but Minami clearly thought that was how it should be perceived. “Cuddle time, everyone together.” Minami said confidently as he slid the DVD into the player and went over to the couch, He plopped down next to Yuuri on the ground in front of it. Viktor was behind Yuuri on the couch in between Yuri and Chris. Phichit was in Chris’s lap but was clearly debating hopping down next to Yuuri since Minami sat down to Yuuri’s left in front of the other Yuri.

“Any of you make fun of me and I’ll make you regret it.” Yuuri growled, in an attempt to seem threatening and in control. It would have probably had more effect if he wasn’t bright red from blush and Minami wasn’t laughing.

Admittedly, Viktor had hoped this was how things would go. Old videos of Yuuri’s childhood? He had only seen Yuuri once as a child and Viktor would be lying if he said the idea of Yuuri as a child wasn’t intriguing and adorable. Yuri only agreed to stay because Minami was going to assumedly be in the videos. He wasn’t going to be as sappy about it as he knew Viktor was getting, but Yuri was curious about whether or not Minami was naturally a blond. Phichit wasn’t going to miss this for the world. Seeing what would happen mentally was one thing, _seeing_ it was another.

Eventually the black screen flickered with static and an image appeared. Thankfully, Minami opted for translating the Japanese for everyone aloud, doing his best to contain his laugher as he did so.

_“Is this on? I don’t think it’s on.”_ The camera was desperately trying to focus on someone’s eye that was directly in front of the lens.

Another voice spoke up, “ _Ken-chan it’s on, the light is red and everything._ ” The voices sounded so high pitched that they had to belong to small children. It was amusing to hear Minami mimic the voices.

Slowly the eye backed away, revealing a small boy scowling at the camera. He had light blonde hair that was an utter mess and couldn’t have been more than 4 dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. It was hard to tell though, because upon some examining it was obvious that it was Minami. Which of course made the age guess completely inaccurate, “I had to be around 6.” Minami supplied, figuring it might offer some reference for everyone.

_“Well than let’s go find Yuu-chan if it’s working! There’s no time to waste!”_ Young Minami said, leaving his companion to follow with the camera.

Yuri frowned and jabbed Minami’s shoulder, making him pause the video. “Okay, some of us need an explanation.” Viktor nodded next to him, already quite lost, “Ken-chan? Yuu-chan? And who the fuck is holding the camera?” None of it was making any sense to either him or Viktor.

Minami looked surprised at Yuri’s outburst, but seemingly understood as he explained, “Yuu-chan is Yuuri, Ken-chan is me, and our friend Guang Hong is holding the camera.” He said simply, moving to hit play but he was stopped by Yuri jabbing him again.

“How do you get Ken-chan out of Minami?” Yuri said with a scowl, clearly irritated at the lack of explanation.

Minami blinked and stared, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, “My first name is Kenjirou you know.” Yuri’s face flushed dark red in embarrassment at having not remember Minami’s rarely used first name, this time staying still as Minami hit play. Yuri couldn’t believe he fucked up so bad while Minami found it oddly endearing. Or at least, that’s what Minami told himself about how he felt about the entire thing. Honestly, he was more or less horrified. Was his first name that easy to forget? Should he change it to something more memorable?

_“Pssst, pssssssst, pssssssssssssst! Yuu-chan! Come play with us!”_ The camera was peeking out of some bushes at a boy. The boy had dark hair pulled into a small pony tail and large glasses on his face, looking comically disproportionate. He was dressed in a dark blue yukata and was reading a book of some sort. The boy looked up, expression unreadable from this distance. The boy looked around, set his book down with his glasses, and walked over.

Once he was close enough it was apparent that it had to have been Yuuri as a child. He still had his baby fat on his face. It gave for an oddly cute effect. “ _What are you guys doing here? You could get in trouble.”_ Yuuri said as he crouched down in front of the camera in the bushes.

“ _What’re we doing here? We’re rescuing the prince of course! How could we live with ourselves if he died of boredom when we could have saved him?”_ Minami said, scooting closer to Yuuri, “ _Let’s go have an adventure! It’ll be fun!”_ Minami sing-sang, rubbing his cheek against Yuuri affectionately.

Yuuri flushed deep red, “ _Minami-kun! That’s not appropriate!”_ Yuuri protested, trying to move away, but failing miserably as Minami latched his arms around him, humming happily, completely undeterred with Yuuri’s blatant rejection. Yuuri eventually gave up, “ _I’m sorry he lassoed you into this, I’m sure you’d rather be elsewhere.”_ Yuuri said to the camera.

“You’re still too formal, Yuuri! I’ve been telling you to call me by my first name since we were kids, I can’t believe thirteen years later and all I’ve accomplished is that you’ve stopped saying kun. Brat.” Minami said, throwing Yuuri a pout, “Though,” He looked at their company on the couch, “We hadn’t been friends very long when this happened so it makes more sense.” He flicked Yuuri, “But we were kids! Kids can say cute nicknames. You should have given me one.”

Young Yuuri shifted on screen as he spoke again, “ _What did you have in mind?”_ Apparently, even as a child Minami had a habit of coercing Yuuri into doing things.

“ _Let’s go ice skating!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I am never under any circumstances taking so long to start another chapter, I started writing this Friday morning and by last night I had anxiety about it. I am literally the most fickle author ever. Anyway, I'm probably going to start a second writing project with less soon to try and put some more fun into writing. This past week or so has been a roller coaster of inspiration and emotions. I high key hate how this chapter feels to me. There's a long list of emotions about why, but they aren't too terribly necessary. I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter because it's taking all of my self control to reassure myself that this was a perfectly fine chapter. Idk why I have to be so emotional all the time. Thank you so much for reading this though! I poured all of my energy into it and some of my heart and soul too to make me feel better about it, so I really hope it was at least amusing. I know I cut off at the good part, but I could probably have them watch old home videos for at least an entire chapter if I let myself. Who knows, they might watch some more later. Anyway, thank you so much again! Until next time~!


	11. We're Great at Communicating

As the screen cut to black and another scene started to be depicted, Yuuri lunged for the remote. On the screen was a very casually dressed Yuuri slowly skating onto the ice, talking with a cute girl a little taller than him. Yuuri had a beanie on to hide the ponytail so his hair merely looked short. He had his glasses back on and was dressed in a large sweater and jeans.

Viktor watched the screen curiously as Minami and Yuuri started wrestling for the remote. Phichit opted for loudly translating between amused giggles. _“When do you think he’s gonna tell her that he’s the heir?”_ Young Minami whispered to the camera. Minami was barely able to be seen since the camera was focused on Yuuri and the girl on the ice.

_“Probably never, because then he’d have to tell Takeshi too. Or at least, he’ll try to avoid it for forever.”_ Guang Hong responded in an equally quiet whisper. It was obvious young Yuuri felt something for her. He was skating too close, and laughing too hard at the jokes the camera couldn’t pick up. Viktor felt a twinge of jealousy and confusion. Who was she?

Before the thought could linger the television shut off. Yuuri had given up trying to take the remote and settled for unplugging the television. Minami pouted and sat down, fiddling with the remote idly in his hands. He didn’t seem overly surprised, just put out. “Ugh, you’re no fun. I wanted to get to watch more. Takeshi was about to show up! I miss watching him pick on you before he realized who you are, you’re so mean~!” Minami said, leaning back, ignoring Yuuri in favor of happily chatting to their guests. “When we were little, it was top secret who Yuuri was, so Yuuko, the girl in the video, and Takeshi didn’t know until the war started.”

Viktor couldn’t decide if that made him feel better or worse. On one hand, a portion of Yuuri’s relationship with the girl had been based on a lie. On the other, Yuuri had a real connection with her back in the day. On the third magical floating hand, Viktor had no right to feel jealous. Minami misinterpreted the silent response as confusion and elaborated, “Yuuko is the mother of those triplets from the festival and is married to Takeshi, one of the medics from the war.”

That made Viktor feel better and he managed to nod and smile, “Ah, that rings a bell.” It explains why the name sounded familiar. It also reassured him that there was no chance Yuuri still had a romantic soft spot for her.

Minami of course, hadn’t realized Viktor’s thoughts and added, what he believed was helpful information, “Takeshi is a beta and Yuuko’s an alpha, it’s why they haven’t been by because they’d both know immediately since they knew Yuuri before he presented. Unless Yuuri told them a few weeks ago during the festival, that is.” Minami paused for a second, “Must be something in the water here because female alphas are rare. She really wanted to fight in the war, but by the time Yuuri could’ve actually let her, she was pregnant with the triplets. So thankfully he didn’t have to make the call about having her fight.”

This just confused almost everyone about wolf biology even more. Minami thought it made perfect sense, Yuuri picked up on everyone’s confusion though. “Keep that up and you’re going to sign yourself up for explaining the birds and the bees about alpha, beta, and omega biology, because I’m not going to.” Yuuri said as put the old video tape away on a shelf. 

Minami visibly paled at that, and looked away, face red, “Okay, never mind. I’ll be quiet.” He muttered, fidgeting. He was feeling more and more uncomfortable as he thought about it, “Uh, let’s change topics, what are the sleeping arrangements going to be from now on? If anyone comes by that’s a wolf, they’re going to know something’s off, considering we won’t be as hyper aware of scents as we have been, with the whole wanting-your-soulmate-to-smell-like-you thing. It’s going to be difficult to remember we aren’t supposed to smell like Viktor and Yura.” Minami said, trying to find a safer topic and failing miserably.

Yuuri sat down on the chair next to the couch and frowned, leaning forward with his hand on his chin in thought, “Minako and Celestino might be coming by in the next few days. I meant to tell you earlier, but you were busy, Minami.” Yuuri said, glancing at the blond, wondering exactly how he was going to react.

Minami’s eyes went wide, “How could you not tell me immediately? They’re going to kill me! They’ll see the scar and freak out, Yuu-chan.” Yuuri’s eyebrow twitched at the nickname, but Minami kept on talking, “In that case, I guess you’ll have to decide how much you’re going to let them know.”

Phichit added his two cents as well, “There are so many possibilities that looking into the future wouldn’t really do much in all honesty.” He said throwing Yuuri a sympathetic look, wishing he could be of more help. “I’ll help in whatever way I can, though I have a feeling it won’t be much in the grand scheme of things.”

Yuuri leaned back in his chair, considering his options carefully before speaking, “They’ll find out sooner rather than later no matter what I do, so it would probably be best to come clean from the get go.” He said, tipping his head back and looking at the ceiling, lost in his own little world, unaware of Viktor’s reaction.

While Chris and Yuri were too busy paying attention to their own soulmates, Viktor fought the urge to move closer to Yuuri. Yuuri’s neck was beautifully exposed and so delightfully pale. It admittedly made Viktor want to disrupt the perfect paleness with a few hickeys. As soon as the thought crossed his mind though, he shot it down and refocused himself. This was getting really out of hand. Instead of doing the first ten suggestions that ran through his head though, Viktor merely cleared his throat.

Yuuri looked up at Viktor and seemed to realize what had been the issue. Exposing his throat in a room comprising of three vampires was not his best idea. He flushed and decided to change the topic, “Anyway, I need to go tell Minako and Celestino when they can show up, if I don’t they’ll just show up randomly without warning.” He pushed himself up and tried to ignore the other’s reactions as he went upstairs, hoping that some time alone to think things over would help his peace of mind.

-

Unsurprisingly for most, or surprisingly for Yuuri, time did help. He had spent the last two days avoiding all contact like the plague by nearly living in his office. He slept minimally and ate even less, he knew it was bad for him but he couldn’t help himself, he needed to work and get everything settled.

In the time that had passed, he had actually managed to do quite a lot. He had reassured all the elders and local leaders that everything was fine and managed to call some of the families of members of the army that had died in battle. He even obsessively reorganized everything in his office so that it was in the perfect condition it should have been in to begin with. He had gotten so much accomplished that he felt absolutely no guilt for ignoring the rest of the world and his closest friends. None what-so-ever. Definitely not. Why would he feel guilty? That was ridiculous, he was fine. Which is precisely why he went on an online shopping spree and spent far too much money on just about anything and everything he thought they needed. It was also why he had a break-down twice in the last six hours.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t doing alright. But he still got a lot done and that was good enough for him.

The real accomplishment he made though, that Yuuri was trying not to think too hard on knowing how much he over thinks things, was his opinions on Viktor. So far, the vampire had done nothing but be reasonable and considerate. Sure, Yuuri had felt the occasional fuzz of jealousy and possessiveness through the connection, but Viktor hadn’t _done_ anything. Yuuri couldn’t blame Viktor for having emotions.

And on the other hand, the one Yuuri had been trying to ignore due to its oddity, Viktor was, in a very bizarre way, relaxing to be around. Yuuri had the utmost confidence that if he were to be incapacitated, in danger, or vulnerable, he could rely on Viktor to protect him. That was no small acknowledgement either, and Yuuri knew it. As enemies, Yuuri had known Viktor to be a capable leader that would never fall for a simple trap or make a beginner’s mistake. Because of such knowledge, Yuuri had always given Viktor a begrudging amount of respect. There was just no way he couldn’t. Yuuri knew that he himself was a capable leader and strategist and the fact that Viktor could keep up with him was nothing short of impressive. They were undeniably on equal ground.

But now, Yuuri knew that Viktor was serious. Everything considered, there was nothing that indicated that Viktor had any intention of leaving before Yuuri fully decided how he felt about him. Sure, Yuuri was still hesitant, but at this point Yuuri was going to have to start thinking about Viktor seriously. Simply put, the gravity of the situation was sinking in. It was also sinking in that Yuuri had a growing amount of affection for Viktor.

When Yuuri felt his eyes starting to flutter close, he knew he should call it quits. He had already concluded that there was no possible way to manage a third day of work based on the remainder of things left to do. Mostly considering the fact that the entirety of things left were chores around the house like laundry and dusting. In short, things he was not about to attempt to do half awake.

With a tired yawn he dragged himself from his office and down the hallway, desperately looking for a place to curl up and sleep that wasn’t his stuffy office chair. Maybe if he had been paying more attention he would have realized he missed his room. Or he would have realized that the room he was slipping into was one of the guest rooms. He didn’t realize this, however, until the door shut behind him and he was met with the sight of Viktor, sprawled across the bed reading a book in pajamas without a shirt. Just because Viktor never sleeps doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate pajamas.

Yuuri blinked a couple times, waking up slightly. He hadn’t been allowing himself to breath too much through his nose last time he was in Viktor’s room, but now that he wasn’t refraining he realized just how much it spelled like Viktor. It made Yuuri’s muscles instantly relax and the drowsiness return with double the force. Once the wave of tiredness hit him, all of Yuuri’s cares about being in an awkward position went out the window. He wanted to sleep right now, and he no longer possessed the energy to drag himself to his room. So he did what any reasonable barely conscious person would do: walk over to the bed and pass out the moment he fell on to it.

Viktor stared, with wide eyes. He hadn’t seen Yuuri for two days. He had heard from Minami’s complaints that Yuuri hadn’t been going to their room to sleep and thus must have been barely sleeping. Viktor had, understandably been concerned. Minami had suggested an intervention, but Phichit assured him there was no need, Yuuri would be fine in a few days and wasn’t that all that really mattered? Viktor had wanted to give his two cents, but considering how neither seemed to even notice he was in the room, he refrained.

Viktor mentally debated going to tell Minami and Phichit that Yuuri had finally gone to sleep and that he was in his room, but decided against it. Yuuri had sleepily walked into his room and presently looked like a sleeping angel. Albeit a sleeping angel that finally crashed after not sleeping properly for two days, but a sleeping angel none the less. How could he give that up? Viktor toyed with the idea of going to sleep too, but he decided against it.

He would rather indulge in watching his soulmate finally rest. The soft rise and fall of Yuuri’s back, the gentle beat of his heart, and the way his eyelashes looked against his skin made the moment perfect. Hell, it felt intimate if Viktor dared to admit it. Yuuri still might not have _technically_ intentionally fallen asleep near Viktor, but it was certainly more intentional than last time, which was more than enough for Viktor. The moment was sweet, and if Viktor could prolong it he most certainly would.

With a fond smile, Viktor set his book down on the bedside table and got into a more comfortable position for watching Yuuri sleep. He was vaguely aware that this seemed like something a cliché vampire lover would do for their sleeping beloved, but he ignored the thought. This was different, he was watching Yuuri to protect him and savor the moment, not to be a creep. Even though creepy vampires probably didn’t intend to creep, Viktor still firmly believed that he was being reasonable. Viktor happily watched Yuuri for nearly an hour, letting his mind wander into the different possibilities for a mythical, and improbable, happy ending where Yuuri did care about Viktor as an individual.

The sharp pang that that was most likely an impossibility raced through him as he admitted the odds mentally. Yuuri had yet to do anything more forward than being vulnerable around Viktor, and even that was debatable. So far all the times that Yuuri had let his guard down around Viktor could be argued that it wasn’t necessarily voluntary.  

Because of the pain of his conclusion, Viktor decided that he would seek comfort the only way he could presently: peeking into the soul connection. Peeking might not be the right word, but Viktor didn’t exactly think looking into the connection while Yuuri was asleep was entirely fair. Viktor clearly hadn’t thought his plan through though. He had planned to feel some of Yuuri’s serenity since he was asleep, but that was before Viktor felt a wave of pure exhaustion coming through the link.

As the energy seemed to be drained from him, Viktor chided himself mentally. Of course Yuuri’s strongest emotions would be his exhaustion, how could Viktor not realize that?

-

Yuuri woke up to banging on the bedroom door. He groaned and buried his face deeper into whatever amazing scent it was already pressed against. He didn’t want to get up yet. Part of him was aware that it had certainly been over ten hours since he fell asleep, but that didn’t deter his drowsiness. He was just drifting off again when there was another bang on the door, “Oi! Viktor! I know you can hear me!” There was a growl and then Yuri shouted again, “That’s it, I’m coming in, you better not be jacking off or some shit!”

As promised, the door burst open, nearly hitting the wall. Yuri strode into the room, eyebrows shooting up as he took in the sight before him. Yuuri and Viktor were a mess of limbs under a blanket. Viktor was clearly shirtless and asleep while Yuuri was barely blinking himself conscious enough to make eye contact. Yuri flushed for a moment before his signature scowl returned and he stormed out, grumbling about how if Yuuri was going to disappear he should tell someone first.

Yuuri debated staying awake but now that the immediate distraction and interruption was gone, he laid his head back down. He chose to ignore the fact that his face had been, and was once again, pressed against Viktor’s neck. Yuuri couldn’t help it though. Viktor smelled like safety. Yuuri knew it was only because they were soulmates, but that didn’t mean he was going to deny himself from indulging in Viktor’s scent when he could under the pretense of being sleepy or drowsy.

-

When Viktor woke up he had absolutely no idea how much time had passed since he went to sleep. He shifted slightly before immediately tensing. His eyes shot open as his mind started going into high gear to figure out what he had missed.

There was warm breath on his neck and someone wrapped around him. Realization dawned on him that it was Yuuri. It made Viktor’s chest swell with warmth. He was half tempted to try to go back to sleep before he admitted to himself Yuuri wouldn’t be happy if he woke up in this position. Viktor had seen enough movies to know that people moved randomly in their sleep. A chill went up his spine when he thought about how close Yuuri’s mouth was to his neck. It took all of Viktor’s willpower to decide to get up.

He proceeded to start untangling his limbs from Yuuri, knowing that the sooner he moved the less likely Yuuri would wake-up with them still tangled together. After some struggling Viktor managed to free himself and climb out of bed. He cast a fond smile at Yuuri as the man continued to sleep soundly. Though, it was noticeable that Yuuri had curled up more on himself. It was adorable in all honesty.

Viktor forced himself to look away, this was an accident, how creepy would it be if Yuuri woke up to him staring? Viktor tried not to think too hard about what would happen if Yuuri got uncomfortable with Viktor’s presence. Yuuri could ask him to leave, and that thought scared Viktor enough to get him to quietly gather his things to take a shower so he wouldn’t wake Yuuri.

-

When Viktor finally made his way downstairs, fresh from the shower and properly dressed, everyone was in the living room gathered in a circle on the floor. They seemed to be playing some kind of colorful card game. As he entered the room, Yuri slammed a card on the pile, “I win.” He said with an air of confidence, reclining back, smirking.

Minami pretended to pout, “I teach you how to play and you beat me, my luck.” He said, sagging his shoulders. Minami looked up at Viktor and there was a spark of surprise in the teen’s eyes before he glanced at Yuuri and then back to Viktor, “I need to talk to you for a minute.” He said, bouncing up and walking over.

Viktor was taken aback, especially when Phichit got up as well, motioning for Chris to stay. Yuuri looked at them, confusion all over his face. Viktor didn’t have time to check Chris’s and Yuri’s expressions before he was ushered from the room and down the hall. Minami led them down the hallway and opened one of the doors that Viktor couldn’t recall having seen been opened before and lead Phichit and Viktor inside.

Phichit seemed calm, but Viktor felt anxious as he looked over the room. It seemed to be some kind of odd storage room maybe? There were many shelves filled with various things ranging from towels to storage totes to a freezer. “What are we doing in here?” Viktor asked cautiously, suddenly aware he was in a room with two people he couldn’t hurt if he valued living.

Phichit gave him a bright smile, “Shovel talk time~!”

-

Back in the living room, the remaining trio seemed to be having difficulty debating whether to start another round or wait for the others. Absent mindedly, Yuuri started shuffling the deck, trying not to be too uncomfortable that he was alone with two vampires whose opinion of him was up for debate. He could try to start a conversation, but he doubted that would go well. Yuri was the type to bite your head off if you said the wrong thing. Not to mention, Yuuri had absolutely no idea how to interact with Chris.

Yuuri was, miraculously saved, by Yuri surprisingly enough, “So, uh, Katsuki, I need a favor.” Yuuri looked at Yuri and was surprised to see the vampire looking away in an almost shy way. Yuuri rose an eyebrow as Yuri continued onward, “I need you to teach me how to cook, because like, if its ever between me and Minami neither of us can cook and I don’t want him to starve and shit.”

Yuuri blinked, slowly processing what Yuri had said, “Um, you can call me Yuuri, and sure. I don’t see why I couldn’t.” He said, stunned. “I can teach you whenever, I don’t have anything going on for a while anyway.” He said shrugging and raising an eyebrow in surprise at the fact that Yuri was asking for help learning something to aide in being with Minami. It made his heart swell, everything considered. If nothing else, at least Minami and his soulmate have a real chance.

Chris, even more surprisingly, decided to pipe up and contribute, “Can you teach me too? Phichit needs to eat, and it’s difficult to learn discretely.” Yuuri blinked and slowly nodded.

Yuri huffed, “You better not be fucking weird like normal, you always make shit creepy.” Yuri growled at Chris, causing Yuuri to raise his eyebrows in further surprise. He hadn’t seen Yuri and Chris interact much, but he had assumed that they were on, at the very least, good terms. With Chris’s shrug as some kind of reassurance, Yuri continued, “We should probably get them out of the house than if you’re aiming for discreet.” Yuri concluded, looking over at Yuuri, “Got any ideas?”

-

When a confused and horrified Viktor left the storage room with Phichit and Minami, Chris, Yuri, and Yuuri were all looking just as nonchalant as they left them. Viktor numbly walked over and sat down on the couch, dazed. Yuuri frowned, watching him with concern. It hadn’t occurred to Yuuri to be worried about the sudden need for Phichit and Minami to talk to Viktor alone. In fact, the more time Yuuri spent considering it, the more he realized that he had no idea what his two friends had said.

Needless to say, it completely derailed his train of thought to get Minami and Phichit away from the house. He had been planning on asking Viktor to go with them when he tried to send them out, but this was making him rethink things. Minami had happily sat down with Phichit, a new sense of comradery seeming to have formed between them. They both loved Yuuri unconditionally after all, in the end Yuuri’s well-being was all that mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Yuuri moved closer to Viktor, watching him with concern. Viktor looked borderline traumatized. Yuuri debated how he was going to ask Viktor to explain when a thought occurred to him, “Minami, what did you say to him?” He asked, turning his head around and using his authoritative voice, despite it being a bit of a cheap shot. Freaking out Viktor for no apparent reason was uncalled for in Yuuri’s opinion.

Minami squeaked in surprise. Yuuri had only used that voice a handful of times outside of a dire situation. When someone’s life was on the line for example. Minami debated trying to lie, but he knew fighting Yuuri would be futile, “I threatened him.” He said simply, knowing that if he went into too much detail he would get more than an earful for what he said.

Yuuri looked at Minami distrustfully, he knew Minami would want to avoid being honest with him, but was this really the truth he wanted to hide? “Why?” Yuuri asked, still not relaxing completely. Apparently Minami had gone all out with whatever the fuck he said if Viktor was actually shaken about it. He would have to get the details later from Viktor since Minami’s descriptions of conversations were vague at best, and it wouldn’t tell Yuuri why Viktor had been startled.

Minami visibly relaxed at Yuuri’s less demanding tone, “Because it’s my job as your right hand to protect you.” As Minami’s words clicked into place, Yuuri flushed. Well that made this his fault then. He had taken a shower but didn’t use any scent-erasing soap before heading downstairs. It was intentional, but he had hoped Minami wouldn’t notice. Of course he would though, they had spent the past few years glued to each other’s sides. Yuuri intentionally let Viktor’s scent stay on him. Yuuri begrudgingly, accepted the fact that Minami had reason enough to be concerned. Yuuri had never been the type to let himself have another's scent on him aside from Minami's, so maybe it really was saying something about Yuuri's relationship with Viktor. Yuuri tried not to ponder it too much, seeing as most likely Minami was the only one that understood or knew enough to the point of it being embarrassing. Phichit, surely had no idea, but Yuuri couldn't imagine his threats to Viktor were without cause. Phichit did have the ability to see into the future after all.

Regardless, Yuuri had to rework his plan on how to get Phichit and Minami out of the house. It would be a bit more difficult than originally intended, but he would manage. "So I have some errands I need to have run, could I get some volunteers? I want to spend most of today getting the house ready for Minako and Celestino to show up, they’re going to be here sometime within the next three days so we should be prepared."

Minami nodded and grinned, "Consider it done, whatcha need?" He said, glancing at Yuri and hoping he could lasso his soulmate into coming along. He really wanted to get to spend more time with Yuri, there was so much he didn't know about him, like how old even was he? Where did he go again when he left for a week? How did he meet Viktor? Did he have any other friends? When was his birthday? Do vampires celebrate birthdays? Minami was falling for Yuri in his own opinion, and he hoped Yuri liked him too.

"I need to get some blood for Viktor and Yuri, food, cleaning supplies, some extra sheets would be good too, and some of the nearby local leaders would probably appreciate some heads up from us, Celestino and Minako are important enough that they might want to be able to properly greet them." Yuuri thanked the heavens that these were all things he needed to have done, even if nothing other than a good shower and Minami by his side was stopping him from doing it himself. "And it needs to be done by the end of the day.

Minami's grin faltered, he couldn’t do all of that on his own on such short notice. It was already ten and just getting to some of the 'local' leaders would take an hour in various directions by train, since by local Yuuri mostly meant in this region of Japan. "I don't think I can pull all of that off on my own, honestly." Minami admitted, feeling guilty that he couldn't be of more help. He was trying to figure out a solution when Phichit pipped up.

“I’ll help, divide and conquer right?” Phichit said, eager to get some fresh air after hanging out in the house for the past few days, “Plus I think we’re safe enough for me to be able to use my future vision to take a peak and see what things would be best to get.” Phichit said, thankful that there was finally an opportunity to use his power without the threat of a life or death scenario.

Viktor was about to thank the heavens for the two threats to his life going out, but naturally Chris pipped up, “And Viktor can get the blood, everything taken care of.” He said smirking over at Yuuri and throwing him a wink. Phichit snort laughed while Yuuri stared blankly.

Viktor sighed, drawing Yuuri’s attention back to him, “I guess I can manage that.”

-

With half the house’s current residents gone, the remaining went to the kitchen. “Chris you better write all of this down.” Yuri growled out at the older vampire before turning to the werewolf expectantly. Yuuri was getting things out of the cabinets so Yuri plopped into one of the kitchen chairs while Chris sat in another, pulling out a notepad and pencil from his pocket.

Yuuri felt more than slightly awkward over the fact that he was going to have to explain literally everything to the pair, considering Viktor’s lack of knowledge. “Okay so, to keep things simple, we’re going to start with the very basics. The most important thing for you two to keep in mind is that just because Phichit or Minami don’t _feel_ hungry, doesn’t mean they don’t need to eat. Ideally, they will be hungry enough to eat a proper amount of food for the day without prompting, but that’s not always going to be the case.”

Chris had disappeared when Yuuri turned around, but quickly walked back in as he scribbled down what had just been said in a newly obtained notebook. Yuri rolled his eyes, “Continue, how do you know how much they need to eat then if they can’t tell you?”

Yuuri leaned back against the counter and elaborated, “Each person needs a certain number of calories per day to maintain their body weight. A calorie is a certain amount of energy a particular food provides, the nutrition label on the package will tell you how much it has. Neither Phichit nor Minami need the normal amount of calories for average humans. Phichit needs around fifteen hundred a day and he’d be fine. His body doesn’t need much energy since he gets most of it from his river. Eating more doesn’t hurt him so much as it gives him too much energy to burn.” Yuuri paused before looking directly at Yuri, “Minami is the opposite. He has a lot of muscle and his body needs a ridiculous amount of energy to keep going properly. Not to mention if he transforms.”

Yuri swallowed, recalling what a werewolf in their wolf form looked like and felt a chill run up his spine, he had never seen Minami in his wolf form, “How is that effected when he transforms?” Yuri found himself asking, knowing it was bound to happen at some point.

“Transforming and staying in a wolf form burns calories insanely fast. Our bodies don’t like the transition, they’d rather stay in and maintain one form. When he transforms, Minami will need to eat a lot of food and have a lot of water immediately afterwards. He passes out quickly otherwise, which while adorable, is dangerous. On a normal day though, six thousand calories are a good range to be in, our bodies require a lot more calories than a human’s.” Yuuri assessed their stunned faces and continued, “Following that note, if Phichit or Minami consistently have too many calories without burning them off, they’ll put on fat, though that won’t really be a concern for either of you.”

Chris frowned, “Why not? I may not spend too much time with humans, but at the moment they all seem to be very concerned with how much weight they put on. Plus, it’s not like we haven’t seen wolves or spirits with some extra weight.” It wasn’t that Phichit putting on some weight would make him any less attractive to Chris, he just wanted to be sure he had a complete amount of information regarding his beloved.

Yuuri chuckled but elaborated regardless, “Phichit can only really maintain extra weight if something happens to his river, and that wouldn’t be the kind he could lose by doing something about it in the form of exercise. Minami on the other hand, is a beta. His body is designed to have nearly no fat. If he was an alpha it would be nearly impossible for him to put on fat. If he was an omega it would happen frequently and accidentally.”

Yuri frowned, knowing that they were playing nearly twenty-questions, but he knew the information would be vital to Viktor so he pressed further, “What does that have to do with it?”

Yuuri hummed as he resumed prepping the area, setting things on the table, “Alphas, biologically speaking, are designed to be as sturdy and muscled as possible. Betas, biologically, are designed to be a happy medium between alpha and omega or rather the most human like. Most have a tendency to be more like an alpha or an omega rather than an actual in between. Omega’s are designed, to a degree, be able to fend for themselves, but a lot of their biology is geared towards being able to have a healthy pregnancy. The easily gained fat is just a side effect, extra energy for the baby in case of an emergency.”

Yuuri was quite proud of his level headed explanation, he didn’t even get distracted and go into a civil rights rant, which was always tempting. Hell, he didn’t even go on a tangent and say something rude about how most alphas act like it’s their God-given right to be dominant. Or how some omegas were so used to how things were that they didn’t fight being mistreated. Yuuri was so distracted that he nearly didn’t even hear Yuri’s response, “So, since you’re an omega, does that mean you can get pregnant?”

Yuuri froze, utterly baffled at the question. On one hand, he couldn’t believe that Yuri had just blatantly asked him that. On the other, he was surprised Yuri had to ask, “Um… yes.” He said, quickly turning around and pretending he forgot something in one of the cabinets. He knew his face was red, it just felt like such an awkward thing to be blatantly asked.

“O-oh.” Yuri responded, having not meant to say that audibly and certainly not expecting a response. “Sorry, um uh, if it makes you feel any better, I never thought you looked fat.”

-

When Viktor finally made it back home, he realized he was the last one back from errands. How did he realize this? Minami and Phichit were sitting on the front porch, visibly sulking, “Did I miss something?” Viktor said, walking up and feeling uneasy. It had been over five hours since he left so the possibility that he had in fact missed something very important was there.

Minami huffed, “We’ve been locked out for over two hours. Yuuri won’t let us in.” He said, leaning back and flopping onto his back, with a small hiss, apparently just falling back on a wooden porch hurt. “I know he’s in there, his scent hasn’t left, neither has Yura’s or Chris’s. No one’s been here since we left. I can guarantee it.” Phichit nodded in confirmation.

Viktor frowned and walked to the door, knocking, “Guys? It’s me, could you let us in?” Viktor called out, ignoring Minami’s irritated glare on his back. A few moments had passed and Viktor was considering just giving up and walking away, when the door was opened.

Chris was standing there looking like he had just popped out of a fire tornado. His hair was a mess, his face had plenty of ash on it, some of his clothes were burned slightly and he had a pained smile on. “Hungry?”

-

The group finally had gotten seated on the living room on the floor, despite Yuri’s protests. Apparently while cooking the food, there was a small, according to Yuri despite Chris and Yuuri’s insisting otherwise, fire. Consequently, when Minami tried to enter the kitchen, he burst into pained coughing. Yuuri was fine simply because he was wearing a face mask. Regardless, Minami could barely breathe so they opened most of the windows and sat in the living room on the floor since smoke rises and it would leave the floor with the cleanest air.

They had apparently tried to cook ramen. When Yuuri left momentarily to get more food from the freezer in the storage room, Yuri had somehow managed to start a grease fire while cooking the meat. Of course, both vampires were completely lost trying to deal with the fire since the heat overwhelmed them more than if they were human. When Yuuri returned the entire pan was on fire and was threatening to catch on the cabinets. Miraculously he thought quickly and put out the fire.

To Yuri’s and Chris’s utter surprise, Yuuri hadn’t given up there. Since the noodles Chris had been working on were utterly ruined along with Yuuri’s broth, Yuuri scrapped it all and switched who was making what. He let Yuri cook the broth, Chris the meat, and he cooked the noodles. It worked well. Chris was attentive to making sure the meat was cooked thoroughly, with Yuuri’s instructions. Yuri made sure the broth was evenly heated, clearly a difficult task. Yuuri made the noodles and any other things he wanted to add to the meal. The end result was a large enough amount of ramen to serve the six of them.

Viktor felt more than a little saddened that he missed the apparent bonding time. Yuuri, Yuri, and Chris seemed to have a silent comradery now, despite the three not talking much to each other at the moment.

“Chris! You should have let Yuuri do the cooking, what if you got hurt? Your burns take forever to heal, Yuuri could have handled it.” Phichit fussed, moving even closer to Chris. He was ghosting his fingers over Chris’s skin, as checking for burns and bruises, “What if your hair got singed? Or you damaged yourself seriously?” He said, his voice dripping with concern as he attempted to relax more, resting his head on Chris’s shoulder.

Chris chuckled, “You know that the chances of that happening are slim, besides, Yuuri here would have saved me. He put out the fire like a pro.” He said wrapping his arm round Phichit and pulling him closer. “Besides, don’t you think the singed hair look would look good on me? I’ve been meaning to change up my style.” He said winking at Phichit, causing the younger man to chuckle, rubbing his face against Chris’s shoulder.

Yuri smirked snidely, “I think you should do the world a favor and go bald. That would be a good look for you. Finally, everyone would be free of that tacky as fuck hair you consider to be a style.” He said, before stealing a piece of beef from Minami’s bowl, “Or maybe just get frosted tips, since it’s not far from your current style.” He said, rolling his eyes at Minami’s pout and futile attempts to steal one of his hard-boiled egg halves.

Minami titled his head curiously, “Does vampire hair grow? I mean, not much about you guys changes.” He said looking up at Yuri’s hair. Since the cooking incident, Yuri had been wearing his hair in a small ponytail that Minami thought looked adorable. “I haven’t seen many vampires with long hair.” He admitted, refraining from trying to get Yuri to let him play with his.

Yuri seemed to notice Minami’s interest and flushed slightly, “Our hair grows, just at paces that range from person to person. Chris’s hair barely grows. He’s been working on that god-awful stubble for at least a decade. Viktor’s hair used to grow really fast a century or so back. My hair grows really fast right now though.” He paused, trying to figure out if he should ask what he wanted, “What do you think of longer hair?” He said, turning and looking Minami in the eyes, trying to ignore the heat in his own cheeks.

Minami froze seeing those beautiful green eyes locking onto his so close up. He simply got lost in Yuri’s eyes for a moment, enjoying the flutter in his chest at how close they were, slowly he snapped himself out of it, “Um, I love it.” He admitted after a significant pause.

Honestly, everyone’s conversation was background noise to Viktor, he was too busy debating what Yuuri was thinking about. The food was amazing, but Viktor already knew Yuuri could cook, that wasn’t news. He also already knew Yuuri was fast on his feet with emergencies, hence the fast work with the fire, also not news. So what exactly was he supposed to bring up as small talk? Maybe last night? No, that would probably just guarantee Yuuri to never do it again. Maybe bring up doing something together before Minako and Celestino come over? Maybe anything? Damnit Viktor think, everyone else was being so domestic and cute with their soulmates, why couldn’t he think of something to say to Yuuri?

Yuuri scooted closer and looked at Viktor out of the corner of his eye, “Are you okay? You seem really uncomfortable.” His voice was soft and gentle, clearly trying to keep the conversation between the two of them and express his concern.

Viktor stared, trying to react properly, no he wasn’t okay. But should he tell Yuuri that? Viktor fidgeted, debating just ignoring the question and ditching, but refrained. He shouldn’t just ignore Yuuri and hope he forgot about him, especially when Yuuri was just concerned about him, “Um, haha not really, I just feel out of place. Like this would be more normal without me here.” He admitted looking down at his bowl of food, tensing up, “I feel like I don’t belong and I hate feeling like that with some of the most important people in the world to me in the same room.” He said, trying and failing to a degree to keep the anger out of his voice.

Yuuri watched, a sad frown sliding onto his face as he realized it was, at least partially, his fault. Yuuri’s brain spun trying to think of the right thing to say before awkwardly settling with saying, “I’m sorry you feel like that,” He paused, eyes flickering up to look at Viktor, “I’m glad you’re here, though” He admitted quietly.

Viktor’s heart stuttered and he looked directly back into Yuuri’s eyes, desperately searching for any evidence that Yuuri was lying. All that Viktor could find though was genuine concern and affection. Looking into Yuuri’s eyes melted all of Viktor’s tension and his face slid into a small smile. He didn’t care if he was taking it out of context, but Yuuri wanted him there. Yuuri _wanted_ Viktor to be with him eating dinner. The happiness that bubbled in Viktor’s chest reminded him of his happiness upon first finding out that he had a soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, its been a while. Honestly, it was nearly entirely because I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue writing this any more. I have the story planned, and I like it, but I don't know if you guys will. So I basically sulked debating whether or not I thought enough people cared to motivate myself. I want to finish this though, so I'm pretty sure I will. I would sincerely appreciate feed back from you guys because honestly each comment has me smiling for hours that someone enjoyed what I made. I really hope you guys liked the chapter and don't worry I won't take so long to update again. Thank you so much for reading and if you leave me a comment telling me what you think I will probably love you forever. Until next time~!


	12. Somethings Take Time to Change

It would have been entertaining to see Yuuri and Minami clean so anxiously if the circumstances were different. They had spent all of yesterday and this morning cleaning frantically, only breaking to eat, sleep, and make a thorough supply list of things they needed to keep cleaning for someone to get. Yuri had been firmly told to not help in the slightest, as had Viktor, Phichit, and Chris. According to Minami, having their scents mixed with things would only make it worse. Minako’s plane was landing within the hour. Celestino’s wouldn’t be landing until seven at night.

“Okay, I’m heading out, Yuuri, check me.” Minami called out, bouncing anxiously by the door. He was going to accompany Minako from the airport to the house. Apparently, Yuuri had a careful plan for how to handle the situation as delicately as possible. Minami would accompany Minako to the house, so she would have a firm sense that everything was fine. Then, when Minako got to the house, everyone she hadn’t met would introduce themselves with Yuuri there in the entrance way. It would help cool the fight or flight reflex and hopefully have things go smoother.

Yuuri walked over to Minami and carefully started checking him for any scent of vampire. If he had someone’s scent on him, Minako might be on edge, even though Minami was going to tell her that they had vampire guests before they got home. Yuri pretended to not care about how close Yuuri was getting to Minami, knowing that it couldn’t be helped. Yuuri nearly had his face buried in Minami’s neck, checking meticulously for any hint of Yuri’s, Chris’s, or Viktor’s scents. He pulled away and patted Minami’s shoulder, “You’re all good. It’s going to be fine.”

Minami stared up at Yuuri, trying to compose himself. It wasn’t too evident by his expression, but Yuri could feel it through the soulmate connection. Minami was a bundle of anxious energy. Yuri was trying to figure out how to calm his soulmate when Minami’s emotions morphed into calm confidence. He looked at Yuri and threw him a carefree smile, “I’ve got this, after all, if I can’t manage this, how am I gonna pull off wooing you?”

Yuri stared, frozen in place as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He was too stunned to even say anything as Minami slipped out the front door. Everything else became background noise.

Yuuri steered the dazed Yuri into the living room and sat him down on the couch near the loveseat, Chris and Viktor were sitting in the loveseat and Phichit was sitting, more or less, in Chris’s lap, everyone perfectly arranged so their scents would be in the best positions. Phichit was clearly doing his best to exhibit self-restraint by not looking at the future, per Yuuri’s request.

Yuuri was pacing in front of the television, clearly a ball of anxious energy, Viktor wished he could comfort his soulmate. He knew he couldn’t though, not only just because of getting his scent on Yuuri, but also in the notion that Yuuri would probably prefer Phichit’s comfort. Phichit seemed to guess Yuuri’s feelings though and spoke up, “Yuuri, it’ll be okay. This is Minako and Celestino right? They trust you, this is going to be fine.” Viktor couldn’t help but notice the borderline violent wave of self-loathing that rushed through Yuuri at Phichit’s words. Hell, Viktor even visibly flinched, effectively causing Phichit’s attention to be swung full force to him. Apparently Phichit forgot what all a soulmate connection entailed until just then based on his reaction, “What did he think or feel just now?”

Viktor jerked away slightly, startled. On one hand, it was so embarrassing and flattering to think of how there was a real connection between Yuuri and himself that they hadn’t acknowledged verbally yet that others were aware of. On the other, there was no way in hell he was going to blab about something so personal about Yuuri _in front of Yuuri for fuck’s sake._ Like, the hell Phichit? Viktor schooled his expression into calm nonchalance, “I don’t recall.”

Chris laughed loudly at that and at Phichit’s offended expression, “Viktor has bad memory, you know that, love.” He said, nudging Phichit’s neck with his face affectionately, “Besides, I know it’s reflex to ask, but what kind of person rats out their soulmate?” At Phichit’s huff, in clear annoyance at Chris having a good point, Chris started chuckling more and peppering Phichit’s neck with kisses. Of course, this made Phichit giggle and before he could move to properly kiss Chris, Yuuri cleared his throat. Phichit snapped out of his own little world and looked at Yuuri, offering an apologetic smile.

-

The next hour dragged by, but sure enough it ended. There was a knock at the door before awkward laughing and the door opening. Once they heard the knock, Yuuri had rushed the four to the entrance hallway. Yuri watched carefully as Minami stepped inside, his arms full of bags and his hair an utter mess. He looked like he was dumbfounded and quickly set the bags to the side near the door, “Come on in Minako-san.”

Viktor wasn’t sure what he expected, perhaps someone like Lilia, and Minako was in a sense. She was relaxed and calm, but she commanded respect as Lilia did. She was older, appearing in her forties by human standards. Viktor felt on edge at that realization. He knew wolves rarely lived to grow grey hair, if she looked so old, there was little doubt that she was in her final decades. Regardless, she wore it well and with confidence. She was slender and tall, her eyes raked over them each as she shut the door behind her.

Viktor couldn’t help but tense realizing that she was so confident in herself, and possibly Minami and Yuuri, that she didn’t feel threatened to be in such an enclosed space with everyone. Viktor noticed she hadn’t looked at Yuuri yet, but instead she seemed to deem it important to meet the new individuals first. She turned first to Phichit and her expressionless, hard face simply _melted_ into a smile, “So this is the infamous Phichit I’m guessing? Yuuri’s letters have told me so much about you.” She said, offering her hand to shake.

Phichit smiled brightly, throwing a quick glance at Yuuri before firmly shaking Minako’s hand, “The pleasure is mine, it’s an honor to meet you Minako-san. I hope we can be friends. Anyone as important to Yuuri as you are has my respect.” He said sweetly, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side with a smile.

Minako chuckled, as her eyes moved to Chris, who was standing a little bit behind Phichit watching cautiously. Phichit was oblivious to the dangers of exposing your neck any more than necessary but that didn’t mean Chris wasn’t aware. Minako offered her hand, “Since Phichit is part of the family, I guess that makes you part of it too, Chris. Since you are his soulmate. Don’t worry, I would never harm him, Yuuri would hate me forever. Welcome to the family.”  

Chris shook it and gave his signature smile, “Thank you, and I’m glad, I wouldn’t actually be able to stand back if I thought he was in danger.” He said, not even attempting to hide his threat. Everyone knew what he meant: if Minako laid a finger on Phichit, Chris would not hold back, regardless of the circumstances.

Minako seemed to accept that and gave a small nod, her eyes then moving to Viktor and Yuri. She clearly was mentally debating how to start the conversation, finally, she broke the silence. She said exactly what Viktor had expected, knowing Minami wasn’t going to tell her everything on the way over. “Nikiforov and Plisetsky, I’ve heard of you both. Dare I ask what brings you here when the war is over?”

Viktor knew from his dealings with the wolves over the years what she was probably thinking and just what her sudden shift in stance meant. She put her weight on her hip closest to the door, it looked casual but he knew it was a way he had seen used to have other’s lower their guard. If push came to shove, the shift of weight to the other leg would give a good amount of momentum to push herself forward. Her arms crossed and she fixed Viktor with cold eyes. He couldn’t blame her; he was sure she was familiar with every bit of his reputation. Not to mention his presence here so soon after the war ended made it all look shady at best, “I am here because I’ve been searching for someone and Yuu- Katsuki has been kind enough to allow me to look in his territory.”

She seemed to accept the answer for the time being as her eyes fell to Yuri for a moment before back to Viktor, “Your reputation proceeds you.” She said coolly, very noticeably not offering to shake hands.

Finally, her eyes shifted to Yuuri. Viktor held his breath, waiting to see what would happen. Similarly, to with Phichit, but with an overwhelming force, her expression melted into warmth. In a few short strides, she had Yuuri pulled into her arms without a moment’s hesitation, “You’ve grown up so much.” She squeezed him tightly before she visibly froze.

Viktor could hear her heart beat faster as she pulled away. She didn’t have to be facing him for Viktor to know her eyes were wide and she must have been stunned, “Yuuri… you’re an…” The words were caught in her throat.

Viktor watched as Yuuri’s face turned expressionless. The same look he had seen for years directed at him. Carefully, he felt out Yuuri’s emotions and tried to send a wave of reassurance through the connection, knowing it would probably fail, but attempting none-the-less. Yuuri broke the silence by speaking, “I’m an omega. I presented a few years ago. Minami has been helping me hide it with his scent. No one except the six, well seven now counting you, here knows.” Yuuri’s voice was the cold, confident one Viktor knew too well. The one he had heard Yuuri use countless times during the war. It was flat out challenging in all honesty.

Minako stared for a moment, starting to grasp at Yuuri’s expression and tone. Yuuri clearly wasn’t sure if she was an outsider or not. He didn’t trust her, and that hurt worse than any blow. “Let’s sit down and talk about this,” She said, glancing at the rest of the people in the hallway before looking back at Yuuri, “Where should we talk in private?”

Everyone seemed to wonder on Yuuri’s reaction, his expression was unreadable at this point as he spoke, “We can all talk in the living room, this involves everyone enough for them to be there.” He said calmly, leaving no room for argument as he led the way to the living room, not even looking back to see if they were following.

Yuuri slid into the living room and sat down in the chair. Viktor sat on the love seat with Chris, Phichit happily returning his seat on Chris’s lap with his back resting against the armrest. Yuri seemed uncomfortable but Minami gently sat him down on the side of the couch closest to Viktor and Chris before sitting next to him. Minako took the only remaining spot and sat on the other side of Minami, throwing him a confused glance for guiding Yuri like that.

Yuuri quickly got her attention, though, as he cleared his throat and started speaking, “I kept it under wraps for obvious reasons, as you can see it has done nothing to impair my judgement or abilities, I thought it would be best to wait until after the war to let anyone know, keep things simple for the army.” He stated calmly, clearly fixing Minako with his most controlled expression.

Minako was slowly processing what he said, before carefully starting to speak, “I would never judge you Yuuri, I just had assumed you would tell me. I will always support you. You’re my family, you know that.” She paused, debating what to say before continuing, “What have you done about your heats though? Surely people noticed.”

Viktor’s eyes widened at her bluntness, Yuuri looked less surprised. Minami shifted awkwardly, so maybe it wasn’t as normal as Yuuri’s reaction might indicate, “I’ve only had one and it was after the war ended, Minami sent the staff home so no one’s had the chance to notice.” He said coolly.

Minako frowned and her eyes narrowed, “When did you present again?”

Yuuri seemed to be picking up on something Viktor wasn’t and he shifted in obvious discomfort, “Two or so years ago.” He admitted, suddenly resembling a guilty child.

Minako made a displeased sound, “So everyone here knows, and Takeshi and Yuuko then? Surely he would have told her.” She said, contemplative, putting her hand on her chin in thought.

Yuuri averted his eyes and seemed to find the far wall interesting, “Actually, Takeshi doesn’t know. Nor does Yuuko.” He said quietly, as though he was guilty. Viktor didn’t follow, why was Yuuri guilty? Why would Takeshi and Yuuko know?

Minako took a sudden breath, “What was that?” She asked, incredulously, though she already knew the answer. “You mean to tell me that you presented five years later than most and _didn’t have your first heat for two years and didn’t even go see a doctor?! Not even getting a check-up by your friend, who’s a doctor?_ ” The end was spoken incredibly fast and in Japanese. Which promptly lead to her speaking in faster Japanese, Minami quietly translating for the others, “ _You can’t be serious Yuuri, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You’re supposed to see a doctor if something is abnormal, not ignore it. What would we do if something went wrong and we lost you too?!”_ She looked less angry and more scared, inching closer to Yuuri as she spoke.

Viktor could feel the waves of Yuuri’s nerves pulse through their connection unintentionally, unaware of himself. Viktor frowned, confused before slowly speaking, forgetting that it would be best for him to stay quiet, “Is that abnormal?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Viktor regretted them, Minako turned and narrowed her eyes, looking full of uncontained rage, “Most wolves present in their early to mid-teens. Not to mention the _delay_ of a heat. Most omega’s present by going into heat. I’ve never met anyone with more than a week gap between the two.” She sighed and took a breath, attempting to calm herself, “Yuuri, you know that. We’re going to take you to a doctor, you’re not dying on my watch.” Minako reached for her phone as she spoke but stopped as Yuuri started speaking.

“I appreciate the concern, and I will go see one if you insist, but I do not want this getting out yet. I’ll only go if you can guarantee no one other than the doctor will find out. If you have a problem with that, you are more than welcome to leave.” Yuuri said coolly. If anyone had any doubt on the seriousness of Yuuri’s words, Minami’s reaction would clarify for them. His eyes widened and his body tensed, moving slightly away from Minako. Despite the shift in posture, he was clearly shifting into a more prepared position. His expression schooled into an unreadable expression like Yuuri’s.

Minako sighed, running a hand through her hair, “Yuuri, Minami, please. You know I could never fight you two. I may be tempted, but even I know when I’m up against the two most fearsome young wolves we have.” She chuckled with no humor, “I’ve heard so much praise for you two over the past few years, I guess I just assumed nothing else could possibly be going on. I should have come to see you sooner.” She admitted quietly, looking pained as she continued, “We’ll figure this out, I know enough people that I’m sure I can find you someone that can keep it secret.” Minako relaxed into her seat and started fiddling with a leather band on her right wrist absent-mindedly. “Dare I ask why you were looking for an omega without a soulmate? Since that was the main reason I’m here. Most think you were looking for yours, is that true?”

Viktor had to admit, she was hard to distract, by this point he had been hoping that she had forgotten but of course not. Yuuri glanced at Viktor before making eye contact with Minako, “I was not looking for mine.” He said simply, clearly debating leaving it at that before speaking slowly, forcing himself to sound even. His voice gave nothing away, but once again Viktor could feel the amount of restraint Yuuri was using through the connection, “Viktor was looking for his soulmate, I was helping him. Imagine my surprise when I realized he was looking for me.” That was one way of putting it. Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, Yuuri hadn’t exactly told him that he was going to tell Minako everything.

Minako blinked a few times, slowly processing what Yuuri had just said. “I’m sorry, what? For a second there I thought you said you were Viktor’s soulmate. I must have misheard.” She said with a good-natured laugh, smiling at Yuuri, waiting for him to correct the misunderstanding.

“You heard correctly.” He said evenly, not breaking eye contact with her, as though silently demanding that she accepted his words as reality. “Viktor Nikiforov is my soulmate.”

Minako looked at Yuuri, blinking a few times in uncertainty before looking over at Viktor, eyes cold and calculating. She stared for a minute as Viktor shifted uncomfortably. From his understanding, Minako was one of the few familial figures in Yuuri’s life, he wanted to make a good impression, but that would hardly be possible if she kept giving him that icy, cold look. “Um, hello Minako-san.” Viktor said awkwardly, not overly fond of the silence that had been suffocating the room.

Minako lifted her chin so she was literally looking down her nose at Viktor, “I would threaten you, but seeing as I taught Yuuri myself how to rip out vampire fangs just as easily as blocking a hit, I know my threats are nothing compared to what Yuuri could do to you.” Viktor’s eyes flew to Yuuri but based on his expression, she wasn’t lying.

“Tearing fangs out have been declared an inhuman banned practice for centuries.” Yuri interjected, shifting towards Vikto, eyes narrowed and body tense. “Everyone knows that.” He said, glancing at Minami, wondering if he could do that as well. Minami, unsurprisingly, didn’t look surprised to hear about it. He must have known.

“It is inhumane, and forbidden, never to be used.” Yuuri said solemnly, looking up and making eye contact with Yuri then Viktor. “I won’t deny that I know how to, but she didn’t teach me using a vampire and I’ve never done it in genuine practice.” He wasn’t going to deny something that was true. He knew the dangers of even being _taught_ such a thing. Vampires were borderline impossible to injure. If injured, they would heal easily. The only thing that couldn’t be healed were fangs. The issue being, with the right amount of force being applied at the right spot, their fangs could be ripped out. It was considered a fate worse than death. “I learned when I was ten, Minami doesn’t know how, by the way.” He threw in, noticing the looks Yuri was giving Minami.

Yuri relaxed at Yuuri’s words but still looked distrustful. Viktor felt sick to his stomach, he knew it showed on his face and he couldn’t even be bothered to care if Yuuri noticed through the connection. He jerked his head away, trying to bite down the near nausea bubbling in his chest. Yuuri watched with careful, considering eyes, speaking again, “I would never do that to anyone, I was taught as a precaution.” He said, looking over at Minako.

Minako shrugged, “I figured I’d warn him. Since I doubt you’d appreciate me threatening him. Though I’m sure Celestino will.” She said shrugging, not even concerned. She stood, “I’m going to unpack, since I’m sure no one’s too terribly happy with me right now. Don’t worry, I can find my room.” She said making her way to the doorway. She paused, “I’m sorry Yuuri, but I can’t just act like these things don’t bother me. I could never live with myself knowing your father would be hurt that I didn’t keep an eye on you.” She left and quickly made her way upstairs.

The silence hung ominously in the air. Phichit looked visibly uncomfortable and eventually stood, grabbing Chris’s hand. “Let’s go upstairs, they probably want to talk this out.” He said before quickly, more like barely not dashing, going upstairs with Chris in tow.

Yuri didn’t wait for the door to Phichit and Chris’s room to shut. He simply launched himself into the discussion, “What the honest fuck. You know how messed up that is, tearing out fangs? That’s revolting at best.” Yuri growled, moving away and closer to Viktor.

Minami took that as his que and moved to the other side of the couch and closer to Yuuri. Yuri’s eyes flashed to his soulmate, apparently having not realized moving away from Yuuri would have him moving away from Minami. Minami was clearly taking it a little personally as he spoke, “It’s not like Yuuri’s ever done it. Just being taught is taboo, sure, but he was a kid who could have been killed at any given point in time. He was taught how to exploit every species’ weaknesses, too.” It could be heard in Minami’s voice that he was withdrawing into himself.

Yuri looked stunned, he hadn’t meant to upset Minami but here the other was, clearly shaken and nearly on the verge of tears. Viktor couldn’t just sit by and watch the pair get themselves into a fight because of him in a weird round-about way, “Yuri, everyone here has done things they’re not proud of. We all have blood on our hands, don’t just blame Yuuri for the _possibility_ of having morally questionable blood on his hands.” Viktor said calmly. He could see Yuri turn the notion around in his head. He clearly wanted to argue further, but he was also aware of Minami’s reactions. Minami was starting to hunch his shoulders, as though he was hiding himself from the view. Viktor quickly continued onward, “If we got frustrated and fought over every single possibility of an occurrence, we would never be able to be happy. The past is done. The future is the only thing we can change.”

Minami looked up and offered Viktor a grateful smile, the tension quickly leaving his body.

-

Minako had volunteered to get Celestino and inform him on the way over of everything, explaining that they needed to spend time settling things, not bickering. Yuuri agreed and decided he’d start making dinner for everyone while she was gone. Half an hour after Celestino’s flight landed, Minami got a phone call. He quietly answered the phone before passing it to Viktor.

 _“Nikiforov, could you step into a room where this won’t be overheard?”_ The voice was unfamiliar but it sounded faintly Italian, so it must be Celestino. Viktor carefully left the kitchen, where he had been watching Yuuri cook, and stepped outside and out of the house altogether, hoping the fresh air would help clear his mind.

“I’m alone. How can I be of service, Celestino?” Viktor said politely, pacing slowly on the front porch as he talked.

“ _I just wanted to make sure you’d be there when I arrived, I would like to have a serious ‘discussion’ with you when I get there.”_ Celestino’s tone made it obvious that it wasn’t going to be a simple conversation, and Viktor could tell what he actually wanted to have was more along the lines of a fight.

-

When Celestino arrived, Viktor was waiting outside with an excited Minami, Yuri, and Phichit. Yuuri was cooking inside with Chris, attempting to teach the vampire about how to prepare more than meat. Minami politely introduced Phichit, Yuri, and Viktor before greeting Celestino himself. “It’s been a long-time sir.” Minami said with a small smile, shifting awkwardly. Minami had explained before Celestino arrived that it had been nearly five years since he had last seen him.

Celestino beamed at Minami and pulled him into a tight hug, “You have grown so much, I am so proud of you.” He said, pulling away and placing his hands on Minami’s shoulders. It was obvious how much Celestino cared about Minami. There was pure joy and pride in Celestino’s eyes as he gave a gentle squeeze on Minami’s shoulders.

Celestino pulled him into another hug and took a deep breath closing his eyes. In that second it occurred to Viktor that Celestino was taking in Minami’s scent. Minami didn’t seem to mind as he hugged him back gently. Unfortunately, while checking Minami’s scent Celestino ended up finding Yuuri’s. He smelled so different from when Celestino had last seen him, that much was certain. But what cut through all the thoughts was just how much Yuuri smelled like his mother.

Yuuri’s mother. The sweet girl Toshiya fell in love with. The woman who was the second mother to over half the pack by the time of her passing. The woman that Yuuri never got to know. The woman who Celestino had spent years protecting whenever Toshiya couldn’t. He had protected her from mutinous wolves, elves, and vampires. Vampires. His dear friend’s beloved wife, soulmate, and mother of his children. She was so gentle and delicate. The notion that her beloved little boy was tied to a vampire by something that he couldn’t control fluttered into his mind. Hiroko’s little boy deserved more than this. The little boy that smelled just like his mother. He deserved the world. He deserved someone who could protect him. Could Viktor protect him?

Celestino tensed and his eyes snapped open, glowing. Phichit gasped and Yuri tensed. Celestino held Minami tightly in his arms before pushing him to the side in a split second and lunging straight at Viktor.

Yuri lunged and caught Minami, Phichit gasped in fright and stumbled backwards, Minako stayed back. Viktor wished he had a second moment to think things through but he didn’t, so he operated on instinct alone. Celestino landed a solid punch to Viktor’s stomach. He would have gone for a second if Viktor hadn’t charge forward, despite still being doubled over in pain.

Celestino fell backwards and Viktor followed, tumbling but ready to continue the fight. He froze though when he saw what was happening. Celestino was transforming, his mouth twisted in a snarl, eyes turning more feral. It always made Viktor sick to watch, considering it just was so unnatural to see a human body contort and shift until it became a wolf. Viktor took the spare moment to pop his neck before charging in again. It was vicious and bloody. Celestino wasn’t restraining himself in the slightest and Viktor was having difficulties fighting the urge to land a killing blow.

Second guessing his instincts was going to be the death of Viktor it seemed because just as Viktor refrained from another deadly blow, Celestino lunged and bit into his leg and tossed Viktor like a rag doll to the side. Viktor screamed in pain, and felt his vision go fuzzy. He couldn’t pass out, but his body could try to force him to. Viktor forced his vision to stay in focus as he watched weakly. He couldn’t get his body to move. He was just frozen in terror as the dark brown wolf stalked towards him. There was something purely horrifying in the way Celestino looked at him. He had a look in his eyes that made it clear that nothing would make him happier than to see Viktor dead.

In the next instant, though, there was a black shape tackling the brown wolf. The creature was terrifying to say the least. It moved as a blur, forcing Viktor to zone in on watching to make out more than a black blur. Viktor was vaguely aware of the yelling in the background but his mind was too focused on the creature before him. In almost no time flat, the brown wolf was being flung against a tree. Celestino started morphing back into his human form and Viktor knew the fight was over.

The black wolf turned and looked at Viktor, rushing forward. Viktor flinched back and stared shock as the wolf morphed back to Yuuri. Viktor was too stunned to see the tears that were in Yuuri’s eyes to even register Yuuri was naked. Yuuri’s brown eyes were wide with panic as he knelt beside Viktor, “Hang in there, you’re going to be okay.” Yuuri whispered softly, hands ghosting down over Viktor’s skin as he started checking for any other major injuries. A blanket fell over Yuuri to properly cover him as Yuuri started mumbling in fast Japanese. Minami knelt and placed his arm around Yuuri, “Come on, let’s get you inside with some clothes, we can handle taking Viktor.” Minami urged gently, giving Yuuri a soft pull backwards.

Yuuri’s tearful eyes flashed with anger and he growled, pulling himself closer to Viktor, “ _I am not leaving him. Don’t do that again.”_ Minami let out a strangled gasp as he backed away. Yuuri had used a voice Viktor wasn’t too familiar with, and Japanese for that matter. It felt absolute. Yuuri didn’t seem to pay him any mind as he turned back to Viktor, eyes fearful and looking desperately into Viktor’s eyes, “What can I do?” He asked tenderly.

Viktor watched Yuuri carefully, tempted to grasp at the soul connection but refrained, knowing that feeling Yuuri’s emotions right now might not be the best idea. Viktor was about speak again when pain shot through his leg. Yuuri looked further panicked and fumbled slightly. He was clearly distressed and on the verge of utterly freaking out.

Thank the universe, Yuri sat down on the other side of Viktor, expression calm and even. “Yuuri, I know how to handle an injured vampire, relax, Viktor will be fine.” He said easily as Yuri proceeded to ignore Yuuri completely. Phichit ran up and handed Yuri a white toolbox. Yuri quickly popped it open and got to work. Seeing Yuri in control and helping Viktor, seemed to ease Yuuri’s nerves. No one was paying any attention to Minako tending to Celestino’s injuries.

Yuuri moved backwards and watched with glazed eyes, tears still sliding down his cheeks. He pushed down the panic attack. He had heard the commotion and was on his way when the smell of Viktor’s blood hit him. He immediately yanked open his side of the soulmate connection and after that, his memory got a little fuzzy. Viktor, _his soulmate,_ was seriously injured and that was all that mattered. The next thing Yuuri clearly remembered was rushing to Viktor’s side freshly out of his wolf form with the vague taste of blood in his mouth.

Yuuri’s heart was pounding as he felt nausea bubble in his stomach at the smell of Viktor’s blood. Yuuri’s eyes glazed over as he tried to focus on anything but his emotions. Another wave of nausea hit him though and he jerked away, hand flying to his mouth. He managed to choke it back down and quickly moved away, not wanting to risk puking on Viktor. Yuuri’s instincts were still in full swing and buzzing as he barely managed to keep the bile down. A whimper escaped him as he curled up on himself. The smell of Viktor’s blood was too strong. His soulmate was hurt. His _mate_ was in pain and Yuuri couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

Yuuri hadn’t even realized he was trembling until Minami placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yuuri, take deep breaths, it’s okay. Viktor’s going to be fine. Vampires are a bitch to kill, remember?” Minami said gently, rubbing circles in Yuuri’s back before flat out nuzzling Yuuri’s back, trying to comfort him. Soon enough, Phichit was there too, pressing some clothes into Yuuri’s hand.

“Put these on, Viktor’s going to be fine, I checked.” Phichit reassured gently, knowing that would do wonders for Yuuri’s mood. Yuuri nodded weakly, and pretended that the words reassured him enough to put his mind at ease.

-

Yuri had taken Viktor upstairs with Chris and Phichit, leaving Minako to tend to Celestino’s wounds while Yuuri watched coldly. They were in the kitchen and Minami was cleaning up the abandoned and consequently ruined food that had been left in favor of checking what was going on outside. Minami understood of course, but that didn’t make cleaning any more fun. Though he supposed he should just be happy that Yuuri had insisted he be in the same room for the conversation, deeming that since Minami was his right hand and his most trusted confidant, he had a right to be there.

“Pray tell why you thought that was anything even remotely close to okay.” Yuuri growled out, pure rage barely contained in his tense posture. Despite wearing clothes too baggy for him, he was still as threatening as anyone would expect a pack leader to be. His eyes were cold and calculating, “I’m sure you’re aware that if you weren’t an advisor to my father you’d be dead by now.”

Celestino didn’t bother hiding his pain at Yuuri’s words, “I’d like to think I’m alive because of more than that.” He muttered. It was painful to acknowledge that Yuuri had never treated him like family. Celestino had been there the day Yuuri had been born. He had been there at his mother’s and then his father’s funeral. Yuuri had always kept him at a distance though.

Yuuri frowned, leaning forward and resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, “You attacked my _soulmate_. You knew who he was to me. It’s a miracle I didn’t tear you apart on reflex, though I’m not entirely certain I should have refrained like I did.” Yuuri said, face hard and not even flinching at the fact he was verbally debating brutally killing the man in front of him. “It’s a known fact how wolves feel about their soulmates, especially when they’re in danger. Not even a fool would attack someone’s soulmate with them near-by. So, again, what the fuck were you doing?”

Minako looked like she was about to retort but Celestino beat her to the punch, “Yuuri, he’s a goddamn vampire. You are Toshiya’s and Hiroko’s son. How was I supposed to sit back when the closest thing this world has to demons is claiming to be your soulmate? I protected your mother countless times from vampires. I protected your father countless times from them as well. You expect me to just sit back and accept that one is staking a claim on your very soul?” Celestino argued, clearly not about to back down.

“He is not staking a claim on my soul. He is my _soulmate_. I’m sure I don’t have to explain what that entails. If anything, I’m the one claiming him.” Yuuri sighed and ran a hand through his hair before narrowing his eyes at Celestino, “I would also appreciate it if you could come up with a better argument other than who I’m related to for motivation for your actions. I know you cared about them, but it’s disturbing that you cite the base reason for caring about me being who my parents were to you. In case you missed it, I exist outside of my relationship to two people I don’t remember.” Yuuri said flatly.

Minami tensed from where he had begun to cook, bringing up Yuuri’s parents never ended well. Minako responded as gently as possible, “Yuuri, you know that we’re just doing this because we’re concerned for you. Your parents were our dear friends; we want to help you.”

“If either of you lay, or threaten to lay, a single finger on any of my guests again, you’ll force me to have to treat you as hostile threats. I will not hesitate. Celestino, you will apologize to Viktor if he wants you to, but you will only treat him with the utmost respect. Viktor and Yuri are not only dear guests to me; they also have diplomatic power. I refuse to let my efforts from the treaty go to waste because one of you started a war. If you don’t wish to stay, I don’t care. But if you do, you might be able to prove of some use to me in figuring out how I intend to handle things.” Yuuri said, glancing at Minami as he realized the teen was cooking some food.

-

Yuuri frowned as he walked down the hallway. Celestino and Minako were in their respective rooms downstairs, and Minami had gone out after insisting Yuuri and Celestino eat before one of them blacked out. Yuuri had no idea when Minami was going to be back though. Yuuri tossed around whether he should check up on Viktor or not. If there was still the scent of blood in the air, Yuuri knew he would be sent into pure panic mode. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case.

The fear that Viktor was in pain still brought Yuuri to Viktor’s door before gently knocking and walking in. Viktor was propped up on the bed with his leg raised underneath some pillows. Yuri sat next to him and Chris and Phichit sat across from them on the bed, all huddled around some cards on the bed, giggling. Yuuri pushed the thought away as he walked closer. They stopped talking as Yuuri approached.

He knew he looked like utter shit. He had not eaten enough to transform like that and have it not affect him. Not to mention that from all the anxiety and emotions he had been going through, he was especially drained. “I dealt with it as best I could.” Yuuri said weakly as he sat down on a chair a little away from the bedside. He felt guilty. He should have been able to protect Viktor better than that. He should have been able to prevent it. Thankfully the air didn’t smell of blood, so Yuuri hoped he could keep his composure.

“Dealt with it how?” Yuri asked, clearly on edge. Minako and Celestino’s presences were rubbing him more than just the wrong way. He flat out didn’t trust them. The most recent incident not helping.

“I told them if they dare do anything to any of you that I’d treat them as hostile threats.” Yuuri said simply, feeling like that was hardly an appropriate punishment, trying to weakly justify the light, in his opinion, punishment by adding, “Hostile threats can be killed on sight, generally speaking.” He said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling, not even bothering to hide his own disdain at the situation and ignoring his exposed throat.

Viktor’s eyes widened in shock as he found himself speaking, “Could we have a minute, guys?” He asked, glancing at the three on the bed. Yuri rolled his eyes and hopped up, letting Chris and Phichit lead the way from the room. Once the other three were gone and the door soundly shut, Viktor could barely contain himself. “Yuuri, you don’t have to do that. I understand Celestino’s reaction. Its fine, I know they’re important to you. Please don’t feel like you have to punish them so severely.” Viktor pleaded, misreading Yuuri’s emotions as reluctance to punish Celestino.

Yuuri looked over at Viktor, turning his words over in his mind. When it fully occurred to Yuuri what Viktor had said, he jerked more alert, “No, I’m not upset I have to punish them. I’m upset I can’t do more.” Yuuri said, confusion evident by his expression.

Viktor couldn’t help but argue, “Yuuri, I know I’m just a guest. You don’t have to be protective of me just because I’m the leader of the vampires or technically your soulmate. I know we don’t have an actual relationship. You don’t have to pretend for me.” Viktor admitted quietly. As much as it pained him, Viktor knew it was true. They didn’t have a real relationship. They were barely even friends, if even that.

Yuuri’s eyes widened at Viktor’s words, stunned. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to wrap his mind around what Viktor said. He thought they at least had _something_. It stung to hear the fact that they technically didn't and he moved away from Viktor, as though he had been struck. Yuuri had assumed. He had assumed that the feelings were mutual. But, in hindsight, Viktor had never done much more than be polite to Yuuri. Yuuri bit his lip and looked away, “Y-you’re right.” He cursed himself as his voice trembled. He couldn’t help it. It hurt. The urge to leave over-took Yuuri but he fought it down. He needed to be there for Viktor.

Viktor wasn’t even paying attention to the soul mate connection until he felt a violent spark of pain and sorrow. His eyebrows furrowed and he couldn’t help but ask, “Yuuri, what’s the matter?” Yuuri’s eyes snapped to Viktor’s, looking slightly like a deer in the headlights.

Yuuri bit his lip and seemed to mentally debate with himself before looking up into Viktor’s eyes nervously. “I want us to have a relationship Viktor, if you’ll have me.”


	13. Hormones and Pheromones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a serious chapter btw.

Viktor blinked wildly a few times, realization slowly coming to him. Yuuri wanted a relationship? Like a _romantic_ relationship? “You want to date me?” Viktor asked, incredulous. This hardly seemed possible. Maybe he was hallucinating?

Yuuri squared his shoulders and nodded firmly, “Yes, yes I do.” He fidgeted as he spoke, his hands twisting themselves up in the hem of his shirt. He kept shifting and it took everything in him to stay put. Yuuri flat out wanted to bolt. He was terrified of laying his heart bare like this but he could hardly help it. Running from his feelings would accomplish nothing. He needed to be forward with Viktor if he wanted this to mean anything.

As Yuuri was lost in his own little world of over analysis, Viktor decided that if he was hallucinating, he might as well enjoy it. In one swift movement, Viktor was reached forward and pulled Yuuri towards him. As soon Yuuri was close enough, Viktor wrapped his arms around him and squeezed. He held Yuuri tightly, listening to Yuuri’s heart beat faster and faster. Yuuri let out a shaky breath and hugged Viktor back as Viktor spoke, “I would like nothing more than to be yours.”

Yuuri pulled away from the hug and looked up at Viktor with worried eyes, “Are you sure? I would completely understand if you didn’t want to. Please don’t feel like you have to do this.” Yuuri couldn’t help but let his self-doubt sneak into his voice. He had never done anything like this and admittedly he was terrified.

Viktor frowned and rose a skeptical eyebrow, “Yuuri, I am most definitely sure.” Viktor said, finding Yuuri’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, “Just let me know what I can do to make you most comfortable and I will.” He tried to push as much reassurance through the connection as humanly possible, not wanting Yuuri to think for a moment that Viktor was agreeing for anything less sincere than honestly wanting to be with him.

Yuuri looked to the side nervously, trying to ignore his own blush, “Um, if you’re okay with it, could I sleep in here tonight? Not to do anything, of course. I’m just still kind of worried from earlier.” He admitted, fidgeting more uncharacteristically.

Viktor tilted his head in confusion, but nodded none the less and patted the spot next to him on the bed. “I don’t really know what you mean about earlier, but you’re more than welcome to stay the night in here with me.” Viktor said gently, smiling as he watched Yuuri visibly perk up, throwing Viktor a quick smile before going around the bed and sitting down, moving closer.

Yuuri seemed nervous still, and Viktor was debating all the various ways he could attempt to relax Yuuri, though none that came to mind seemed effective. Was Yuuri expecting him to say something? Would Viktor measure up to anyone else Yuuri had dated? Yuuri didn’t say he wanted to do anything, but was that just him being coy? What did he mean about earlier? Yuuri cut Viktor’s thoughts off by speaking again, “About earlier…” Viktor looked over at Yuuri and it didn’t take a soulmate connection to tell Yuuri was anxious, “I couldn’t protect you. You were suffering and I hadn’t prevented it. I know it’s silly, but I don’t want to risk anything happening because I wasn’t here.” Yuuri mumbled, looking at Viktor with an expression that almost seemed timid.

It was slowly clicking in Viktor’s mind. He remembered from smelling Yuuri’s blood the base instincts that showed up when you smelled your soulmate’s blood. Viktor could only imagine the helplessness that had come with Yuuri smelling his blood earlier. Viktor doubted the feeling was anything short of absolutely overpowering. Regardless, Viktor responded, “Then if it helps, you could just never leave my side.” He said with a grin and a wink, trying to lighten the mood.

Yuuri blinked and stared for a few moments, processing what Viktor said. Viktor started to panic. It had meant to be a joke, but Yuuri wasn’t seeming to get it. Before Viktor could reassure that it was a joke, Yuuri smirked deviously, “Don’t tempt me.” He said, amusement in his voice. Yuuri had been trying to figure out the best way to respond that was all that he could come up with.

Viktor couldn’t help the flush that spread across his face. Yuuri smiling or even just smirking at him was a treat. Hell, last time Viktor recalled Yuuri smirking at him was all those years ago as Mari announced the start of the war. How times had changed. A warmth swelled in Viktor’s chest at how Yuuri’s grin at this moment was solely for Viktor’s eyes. Not to mention, that was a smooth line. Before Viktor could stop himself, he reached over and caressed Yuuri’s cheek with his hand, “You’re going to be the death of me, Yuuri.”

-

When Minami finally finished downstairs and trekked upstairs, he mentally debated which room to go to. He wanted to cuddle with Yuuri and make sure he hadn’t hurt himself during the fight, but Minami discarded the idea. Yuuri would probably be with Viktor, and as much as Minami was on the fence about them being soulmates, he wasn’t going to interfere. He wanted Yuuri to be happy, and if Viktor made him happy, that was more than enough for Minami.

Minami was not about to go to sleep alone though, so he found himself at Yuri’s room. Carefully, he lifted his hand and knocked on Yuri’s room. After a pause, there was a shout from inside indicating he could come in.

Carefully Minami entered, tensing as he realized Yuri was on the phone speaking in Russian while sitting on the bed. Minami nearly turned around to leave but Yuri spoke up, “Minami, you can stay, I’ll be off in a second.” Quickly Yuri went back to talking in Russian to whoever was on the other end.

Minami shifted slightly, debating what to do before reaching a conclusion. He looked over at Yuri and made eye contact, ‘ _Is it alright if I sleep in here?’_ He mouthed, not wanting to cause another verbal interruption. Yuri’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he nodded none the less. There was no real reason to object after all, it’s not like Minami sleeping here could do any harm.

Minami smiled in appreciation as he removed his socks and shirt so he could sleep better before walking over and crawling onto the bed. Yuri pretended to not ogle his soulmate while listening to the person on the other end of the phone. It was admittedly difficult to focus on either. On one hand, Yuri was on the phone with his grandfather. On the other hand, Minami was cuddling up half naked to him on the bed, clearly settling in to sleep. It was both enticing and adorable. Enticing because being curled up intentionally with someone on a bed had its appeals. Adorable because of just how domestic it was. Soon enough, Minami was lying down next to where Yuri was seated on the bed and falling fast asleep.

With Minami’s gentle breathing, Yuri relaxed and carded his fingers through Minami’s soft hair, “ _We can keep talking, Minami fell asleep so I don’t have to go.”_ Yuri said twisting a strand of Minami’s hair around his finger.

On the other end, Yuri could hear the confusion in his grandfather’s voice, “ _Minami? Katsuki’s right hand?”_ He asked carefully, trying his best to follow what Yuri was talking about but knowing that keeping up wasn’t exactly going to be easy. His grandfather vaguely recalled the name Minami from when Yuri had visited, but he wasn’t entirely certain he was remembering correctly.

Yuri hummed quietly, “ _Yes, among other things.”_ He said gently, taking a small calming breath, loving the serenity of having Minami so calm and asleep next to him. It also helped that Yuri didn’t have to hide his affections when he was alone like this. Minami couldn’t see and the only one with a possible clue would be his grandfather.

“ _Among other things? Like what?”_ His grandfather asked, picking up, to his own surprise, the fondness in Yuri’s voice. Last he recalled, this Minami had been an insufferable brat in Yuri’s eyes. Admittedly though, most people were insufferable in Yuri’s opinion, but that wasn’t the point.

Yuri chuckled nervously, cursing himself for accidentally walking into that one. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell his grandfather, he just hadn’t figured out the best way to phrase it yet. Yuri’s hand stilled in Minami’s hair. How should he phrase it? Should he rip it off like a band-aid? Or ease into it and tell his grandfather completely later? Minami groaned in his sleep and moved closer to Yuri at the lack of movement from Yuri’s hand. A soft smile crossed Yuri’s face, deciding to be forward, “ _Well, it turns out that Minami’s my soulmate actually. I just hadn’t figured out how to tell you yet.”_

The other end was silent for a few moments before Yuri’s grandfather spoke up, “ _I can’t wait to get to meet him them. What’s he like?”_

-

Minako was humming softly to herself as she prepared breakfast, knowing that food would be the best way to ease the tension in the air. She was preparing pancakes and some sausages. The pancakes were in the style that was popular right now in Japan, thick and fluffy. The sausages were in generously sized patties. She knew that it wasn’t Yuuri’s and Minami’s preferred breakfast side, but Yuuri and Celestino needed to pack on the protein from transforming yesterday.

Soon enough, everyone started coming into the kitchen. First up was Phichit and Chris. Minako greeted both happily and pretended she didn’t notice the faint tang of blood in the air, especially considering Minako knew the smell was too fresh to be pre-packaged blood. As much as she’d love to encourage Phichit to make better choices so Yuuri wouldn’t mimic him, she knew better than to attempt to lecture Phichit.

Celestino was next. He had a slight limp and his arm was in a sling still from yesterday. Thank god Yuuri had tunnel vision as a wolf. If he had gone into any more of a blind rage, Celestino might not have kept his arm. Yuuri certainly hadn’t become a push-over, that was for sure. It was admirable yes, but alarming how he hadn’t even noticed how he nearly took Celestino’s arm off. Regardless, Celestino sat down and started nibbling on some peach cubes Minako handed him.

Next was Minami with Yuri in tow. Minami smelled faintly of Yuri. They clearly hadn’t done anything other than cuddle judging by their scents, so no one commented. Minami happily greeted Phichit and Chris before grabbing Yuri a pack of blood and offering it to him. Minami counted the chairs and left the room in search of extra. Yuri was clearly uncomfortable, but he sipped at his blood anyway, relaxing as Phichit made small talk about funny things he had realized about vampires since meeting Chris.

Viktor and Yuuri came into the kitchen just as Minami was setting the extra chairs in place. Yuuri was supporting nearly all of Viktor’s weight as they walked in. Carefully, Yuuri sat Viktor down and went to retrieve some blood from the fridge. Celestino and Minako held their tongues on commenting about Yuuri’s scent, but Minami hardly seemed to realize why it would be an issue to avoid commenting on, “You reek of Viktor, what did you two do last night?” He said, tilting his head to the side in mock innocence. If they had sex, he was going to make sure he found out immediately and put them on the spot.

Yuuri rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Minami was getting at. “I slept next to him, that’s it. You can check me if you really want a guarantee that we didn’t have sex.” He said, not even hiding the amusement in his voice as he sat down next to Viktor and handed him a pack of blood.

Minami huffed, ignoring the appalled looks Minako, Celestino, Yuri, and Viktor were giving him, “Fine, I was going to have to beat him up if you guys did anyway.” He said, plopping his head down on his arms.

Viktor frowned, thoroughly confused, “Not to over-inquire, but why would you beat me up for that? It’s sex, not murder.” Viktor said, trying to piece together Minami’s point. Yuri was visibly uncomfortable along with Celestino and Minako. Phichit noticeably glanced into the future and apparently told Chris through the connection what he had seen, as they both started trying to muffle their snorts of laughter together.

Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror, knowing Phichit laughing like that was never a good thing. He tried to stop Minami from responding, but it was too late, “Yuuri deserves to have his first time with someone he’s at the very least dating, even if they have to be the first person he’s dated. I won’t let you have sex with him without being committed.” Minami snapped, defensive and protective of Yuuri.

Yuuri’s face went dark red and he slammed his head on the table to hide his embarrassment. Just because Minami was right that he was a virgin and that he had never dated anyone, didn’t mean Yuuri appreciated him blabbing about his personal life. It was humiliating at the very least. Especially considering almost everyone important to him was in the room with them. Yuuri started debating the odds of being able to get out of the house before someone could stop him to escape the misery.

Viktor meanwhile, was slowly processing what all Minami’s statement entailed. As it clicked, Viktor asked his conclusion, “Yuuri? Have you never dated anyone before me?” Viktor decided that asking about Yuuri’s past sex life wasn’t exactly appropriate at the moment so he settled for what would be the more polite question of the two to inquire about in front of others. Viktor didn’t even notice that what he said implied that they were dating.

Yuuri didn’t verbally respond and merely nodded, too embarrassed to fully acknowledge what had just transpired. He was also attempting to ignore how Phichit had clearly seen what Minami was going to ask without attempting to stop it from happening.

Phichit squeaked in delight, “So you’re finally dating!” He said, grinning widely, before grimacing, “Damn.” He said, relaxing and looking more than slightly put out. It was uncharacteristic to say the least. Chris reacted similarly, happy but sad. Yuuri looked up at Phichit and fixed him with a confused and mildly alarmed stare.

“What do you mean, damn?” Yuuri asked, a little nervous. Phichit looking disappointed was never a good thing. Mostly because of the future vision thing.

Phichit sighed, “Once you and Viktor start dating, Chris and me being here doesn’t help much. I was planning on leaving once you guys started, but I couldn’t exactly tell you, you know?” Phichit admitted, smiling weakly at Yuuri, “Also, breaking-up just so I stay won’t work.” Phichit added, having already seen Yuuri mentally start considering it without using future vision.

Before Yuuri could respond, Minami piped up, “Wait! So, you’re dating? Since when?! How could you not tell me sooner?” Minami said, shooting off rapid fire questions. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Yuuri forced the conversation elsewhere.

“You’re going to leave then? But you were supposed to stay for a month, at least.” Yuuri said, frowning at Phichit, confusion written across his face. He hadn’t expected the sudden notice of Phichit leaving. Sure, with the drama getting stirred up, things were different compared to when the plans were made, but still.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back once things have calmed down, I just don’t want to pile too much onto your plate.” Phichit said, smiling brightly, “Regardless, don’t worry about it, I won’t leave for a few days, it would be rude to just ditch you suddenly.”

Yuuri seemed to accept that at face value and got distracted as Minako spoke up while she started to serve everyone breakfast, putting way too much meat on Yuuri and Celestino’s plates to look balanced. “I called around last night and there’s someone in Fukuoka who said they can keep everything hush hush. Though you’ll have to go alone, since it’s at an omega clinic.”

Yuuri cringed, he hated doctors. Not to mention this would be a particularly unpleasant trip. Omega clinics were for, unsurprisingly, omegas. They focused on omega pregnancy and just overall omega health. Yuuri would have to go alone because only omegas were allowed in. It seemed sexist, but since most of the guests were on the verge of heats or pregnant and therefore on the highest level of alert and paranoia, it was more of a reasonable precaution. Not to mention since the clinics also occasionally hosted omegas in heat with no safe place to stay, they tended to reek of pheromones. “When?” He asked, ignoring the confused look on Viktor’s face.

Minako sat down once everyone was served, purposely leaving the vampires’ plates empty, knowing they didn’t eat, “She said she could see you as soon as this afternoon, which I said you’d do. The sooner you go the better, Yuuri.”

-

After breakfast, Yuri found himself cuddled up with Minami in his room, finding it more than slightly amusing that Minami wanted to sleep off the large breakfast. Despite how endearing it was though, Yuri had other plans. “Mina-“

“You should call me by at least some variation of my first name, but continue.” Minami, or rather Kenjirou interjected.

“Kenjirou,” Yuri began slowly, “What are we? I know we sort of had a date and you kissed me, but we haven’t really talked about it.” Yuri’s grandfather had brought it up last night, about whether they were in an actual relationship. He had suggested that Yuri get a confirmation one way or another. And, if they were in fact in a relationship, that Yuri should try to learn more about Minami.

Minami looked up at Yuri, tilting his head to the side in confusion, “Well, we’re soulmates, aren’t we?” He asked, unsure of what exactly Yuri was getting at. What was there to be confused about? They had had a date, and Minami was constantly trying to spend more time with Yuri. Hell, he had even left Yuuri and Phichit alone together to cuddle with Yuri. “I like you romantically if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Yuri’s cheeks gained a slight tint of red, “Um, yeah that was what I was getting at, so um, good to know.” He admitted, biting his lip, trying to avoid thinking about how cute Minami looked like this. Minami’s legs were twisted up with Yuri’s and his arms were loosely holding onto Yuri’s chest. It made something twinge in Yuri’s chest that he wasn’t familiar with.

Minami smiled and nestled his head down against Yuri’s chest, “I can hear your heartbeat.” Minami murmured, lifting his chin slightly and kissing Yuri’s neck. He felt a twinge of guilt at how Yuri tensed beneath him. To help, Minami pulled back and sat up slightly, “Sorry, I didn’t think that through.” He apologized. He hadn’t meant to make Yuri uncomfortable.

Yuri stared for a moment, unable to figure out how best to communicate why he tensed. Yuri had tensed because his neck was sensitive. He wanted to feel more of Minami’s kisses on his neck and anywhere else. The realization had startled Yuri enough to cause him to freeze. Before Yuri could ponder Minami’s distress, he sat up and pulled Minami into a kiss. It was gentle and delicate, as though Yuri was afraid Minami would break.

Minami’s heart started to race and before he could even think his actions through, he kissed back, effectively deepening it. His hands flew to Yuri’s hair to kiss him better. Minami’s heart was practically ramming in his chest as he desperately tried to keep in control of his actions. His senses were flooding with how he was kissing his soulmate. _His_ soulmate. Instincts were threatening to take over in a way Minami had no experience with. He was debating how he was going to convince himself to break the kiss when one of Yuri’s fangs nipped his lip on accident. It wasn’t enough to make him bleed, thank god. Minami moaned at the feeling though, nearly going limp in Yuri’s arms.

The moan snapped Yuri out of it and he broke off the kiss, much to Minami’s disappointment, causing the him to whimper at the loss of Yuri’s lips. “Th-that was good. But let’s take it easy, you’re far too tempting and I don’t want to rush things and accidentally make you uncomfortable.” Yuri said carefully, trying to force himself to believe his own words. He honestly wanted nothing more than to never stop kissing Minami and just explore everything they could make each other feel. Yuri was level-headed enough though to know rushing into something would just make things worse after the hormones calmed down.

-

Yuuri frowned as he fidgeted on the train, on his way to Fukuoka. He had taken a shower to get rid of any scents other than his own as a precaution. He hated that he had to go alone, but he knew it couldn’t be helped. Honestly though, he was only upset that he was going alone because of the looks he was getting from strangers on the train. Despite wearing scent mutters, Yuuri’s scent was still distinct enough to gain plenty of attention. He had seen no less than five alphas and two betas ogling him. It would be surprising if it weren’t for the fact that Yuuri was clearly not bonded.

The first thing most wolves did with their soulmates were to make sure that they were noticeably taken, normally called bonding. Most would get a tattoo on their neck, let their mate bite them to leave a visible mark, or, if a mark seemed too old fashioned, couples will settle for an item that reeks of the other, so there would be no mistake that they were single or not. Most omegas demanded a mark of some form immediately to avoid the situation Yuuri was in. Unfortunately, since Yuuri wasn’t noticeably bonded he looked single.

It made his skin crawl to get ogled so openly. In his defense, though, every time someone made eye contact to flirt he would growl deep in his throat. He may be theoretically available as far as bonding was concerned, but he would be damned if anyone thought he was open to casual sex or starting a relationship. It made his chest burn with pleased pride that he had someone he cared about and that the attention was just an annoyance.

-

Less than an hour later, Yuuri was seated firmly on the edge of an examination table in one of the rooms at the clinic. He was bracing himself for the worst, knowing that he was going to be put through all the ringers for the check-up.

After five minutes of waiting, the door creaked open and a lovely young lady with bright green eyes and jet black hair walked in. She was an omega and since she looked slightly older than Yuuri, he speculated that she had at least a century on him. “Hello, I’ll be your doctor today, what would you prefer I call you, sir?” She said with a warm smile as she sat down and got adjusted with a clipboard in her hand. The staff had reassured Yuuri that the doctor would use a clipboard so there was no chance at her secretly recording the conversation.

Yuuri panicked momentarily, should he be honest? Should he give someone else’s name? He wasn’t entirely sure and ended up blurting the truth, “Yuuri is fine, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to see me discreetly.” He said with an appreciative smile.

“Don’t worry about it, Yuuri. Now, if I’m understanding correctly, this is the first time you’ve gone to an omega clinic, and since I have no records on you, I’m going to need you to tell me everything that could be relevant.” She said calmly, knowing he would probably keep things vague. It wasn’t unusual to have someone ask for no real records to be kept of their visit. What did make the visit unusual though, was that he had the famous Minako Okukawa call her personally to guarantee the secrecy of the handlings with him.

Yuuri frowned and seemed to fidget as he talked, “I’ve been under a lot of um, stress, and I only presented a few years ago. I had my first heat around a month ago now. I’ve been afraid to see a doctor for fear that it would get out, but Minako insisted that I get a checkup.” He admitted, looking more than slightly embarrassed.

His doctor frowned, unsure of how to properly respond, he must be mistaken. There was no way that he had gone years without his first heat. “I’m sorry, but are you sure? I’ve never heard of anything like this. Maybe there’s been a mistake?” She offered, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

He shook his head, looking up with a timidly determined expression, “I’m certain, I have some people who can testify, but obviously, they’re not here.” He supplied.

The doctor nodded, “I’m going to have to give you a full examination and run some tests. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.”

-

Three hours later, Yuuri was walking out of the clinic with his doctor’s business card in his hand, if he called her in a few days or stopped by, she said that she would have his test results for him. With a cringe, he remembered how thorough the examination had been. The result was the reassurance that outwardly his body was in working order, now it was just a toss-up for inwardly.

What worried him the most, though, was that she had told him he should expect another heat to come soon. Apparently, his was starting to go into pre-heat. His temperature was higher, he was producing more pheromones than he realized, and his pain tolerance was higher than it should be in some places. Not exactly what he wanted to hear, to say the least. He hummed as he sent a text to Minako explaining that the doctor said he was at least outwardly fine.

Just as Yuuri was debating if he should go straight home, he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his waist. “Yuuri, let’s go to a club.” Phichit sing-songed in Yuuri’s ear. Yuuri jumped away quickly and shot his friend a glare, not exactly appreciating being ambushed on a random sidewalk. Behind Phichit was Chris and Viktor, clearly dressed for a night out on the town. “Yuri and Minami are home and it’s one of the last nights we’ll have to go out together.” Phichit said, giving Yuuri his most hopeful expression.

“No way in hell, don’t you go to clubs to pick people up and get drunk? Count me out.” Yuuri retorted, turning around to walk away. He was not in the mood to get hit on and wasted. Both were low on his things-he-tolerated-happening list and he wasn’t about to try to have them both happen at the same time. “Besides, I’m hardly dressed for having a night out.”

“Oh, I can fix that.” Phichit said, grinning devilishly before grasping Yuuri’s hand tightly in his, “See you guys at nine. I’ll text you the address~!” Phichit called, yanking Yuuri away.

-

“Remind me again why you’re doing this?” Yuuri asked, turning around for Phichit for the millionth time that afternoon. They were at a department store trying to pick something out for Yuuri to wear. So far Phichit had gone all over the spectrum for possible styles. From shorts that were barely not underwear to shirts that were barely more than a few strings.

“Because Yuuri, I’ve always wanted to go to a club with you and I’ll be damned if I never get to. Plus, I want you to realize you look great, even if you are a lean, mean, killing machine.” Phichit said, shooting finger guns at Yuuri. “That and it’ll be hilarious watching a bunch of people try and fail to hit on you.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes in exasperation, “Hearing that makes me want to rethink letting you pick out my outfit. I don’t want my bones to get jumped, I just don’t want to feel under dressed.”

“Okay, this outfit is definitely the one. And don’t worry, compared to you, everyone’s going to feel underdressed.” Phichit said confidently, gesturing for Yuuri to look himself over in the mirror. He was wearing something only Phichit would think looked good, at least in Yuuri’s opinion. He had on black, torn-up leggings that were somehow a style and not just garbage. He also was wearing black shoes with a chain and fake leather, Yuuri wasn’t sure the details and he didn’t care. His top was an oversized blue sweater that barely fit. The collar was so wide that it stretched from shoulder to shoulder and barely held on.

After deciding on and purchasing the outfit, Phichit dragged Yuuri to yet another store. This one specialized in makeup. Yuuri wasn’t initially sure about wearing any, but they managed to keep it simple. Just covering up any too noticeable acne and adding three small black dots under the outer edge of his right eye for flair. Phichit had Yuuri get his hair styled into a causal messy look, knowing that Yuuri wouldn’t bother with anything more elaborate.

“This is way too much Phichit, we’re going to a club not a red-carpet premiere.” Yuuri grumbled as they reached the club Phichit had picked. The music was quieter than most, for which Yuuri was thankful if not hesitant. Quieter music was great for his ears, but it normally meant that a large portion of the patrons would be wolves.

Phichit hardly paid Yuuri any mind as he walked straight past the line towards the bouncer with Yuuri meekly following, “Yuuri, this is probably the only time I’m ever going to get you to act like a normal twenty-something-year-old. Just relax for one night, you’ve been an anxious mess. Try and pretend that everything’s normal and you’re just going out for some fun.” Phichit said with a happy hum as they reached the entrance.

The bouncer looked Phichit up and down, unamused before looking at Yuuri. The man, an alpha with a scent like that, checked Yuuri out, but he must be more serious than most because he didn’t let them in, “Just because you’re cute doesn’t mean you get to cut.” He said flatly. If Yuuri was paying more attention he would have realized that it was directed solely at him.

Yuuri moved to go back but Phichit grabbed his hand and held him there, “I didn’t think so,” Phichit said, making Yuuri tense. He didn’t have to see his friend’s expression to know what he was about to do. Phichit tended to use a certain tone when he wanted to threaten strangers, “But what if I told you that if you don’t move you’re going to get puked on in a hot second?” Of course, Phichit would use his abilities to get them in.

The man’s eyes narrowed in disbelief, but before he could retort, Phichit was grabbing his arm and yanking him towards them. The man didn’t move so Yuuri grabbed the man’s other arm and yanked him forward, knowing that there was no way they were getting in if the guy got puked on and they could have stopped it. Sure enough, a moment later a beta girl came dashing out in full sprint, barely making it to the nearby alley before puking up her guts. The man blinked, stunned and looked down at Yuuri, a faint blush on his face, “Wow, you’re strong for such a cute guy.” He said dumbly, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Yuuri’s eyes widened and he grabbed Phichit’s hand before dragging him inside, not in the mood to be hit on by the bouncer. Once inside, Yuuri held back the cringe at the mixture of pheromones and loud music. “Is Chris and Viktor already here?” He called out to Phichit over the music.

Phichit nodded in response and started leading them through the crowd of dancing bodies. Yuuri hummed in appreciation at the infectious feeling of the music. When they reached the bar, Yuuri snapped out of it slightly. Viktor and Chris were both holding glasses of something very alcoholic if the smell was any indication. Phichit happily walked up to Chris and plucked his drink out of his hand, taking a hearty sip. Yuuri frowned, if Phichit drank that much on the first sip, Phichit was aiming to get utterly wasted.

Yuuri joined him and declined Viktor’s offer of his drink. Yuuri had no intention of even getting the slightest bit tipsy. He wanted to enjoy the atmosphere without any impairment. Something about the mix of pheromones in the air was making his heart start to race. If he had been paying an ounce of attention, Yuuri would have noticed the appreciative look Viktor was giving him thanks to his new clothes. Yuuri looked stunning, and Viktor would like nothing more than to get to kiss his beautiful soulmate.

Phichit soon dragged Chris out to the dancefloor, leaving Viktor and Yuuri. Yuuri shifted as he debated whether to go dance. He was just about to risk it when a voice next to him caught his attention, “You come here often, babe?” Yuuri turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice. He was more than slightly surprised to realize that the man was talking to him. Yuuri spent a moment visibly sizing him up. The man had obnoxious bleached hair and way too many muscles, not to mention he reeked of alpha pheromones. They were so overpowering Yuuri nearly covered his nose in distaste.

“No, I don’t.” Yuuri said bluntly, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see Viktor still by his side looking puzzled. Of course. Viktor couldn’t smell the pheromones, lucky him. If he could, he would know that this guy was clearly looking for more than polite conversation. Yuuri pulled his attention back to the stranger, forcing himself to ignore his senses as the pheromones were admittedly getting him a little riled.

“Well, in that case, why don’t you come dance with me? I’ll show you a great time, I guarantee it.” The man said with a smirk and a wink. Yuuri nearly had to give the guy credit, he was confident. Confident enough to irritate Yuuri on more than one level, but confident none the less. Had Yuuri been available, it might have even been enticing, too bad he wasn’t.

“Not in this lifetime, I’m spoken for.” Yuuri said, gesturing at Viktor. Yuuri knew that Viktor had noticed the stranger was clearly hitting on him by this point and that it was irritating Viktor. He also could feel through the connection that Viktor was unsure of what Yuuri had been going to respond.

This didn’t seem to deter the stranger though, “You’re dating a blood sucker? How could he even satisfy you without a knot?” If Yuuri had been drinking anything, he would have done a spit take. He hadn’t anticipated the man to be so blunt, or disgustingly forward.

Yuuri felt a rush of confusion through the connection from Viktor and rushed a response with plenty of venom in his voice before Viktor could ask what a knot was, “Knot or otherwise, I’m sure he can satisfy me better than you ever could. Judging by your pheromones, you’re overcompensating. I doubt I would even be able to tell if you popped a knot.” Yuuri said coolly, fixing the stranger with a deathly glare.

Viktor had no idea what was going on, but when the stranger flushed deep red in embarrassment, he couldn’t help but laugh. Poor soul, Yuuri always had a sharp tongue, and it seemed whatever the man had said was enough to get Yuuri to use it. The man mumbled something nervously before he walked off, face burning.

Yuuri looked up at Viktor, “Let’s go someplace quieter, the music is nice, but I’d rather not deal with that again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to do a fun chapter and just ended up stressing myself out??? So I scrapped the idea TnT. Anyway, I really hope you guys liked the chapter, it felt busy as hell but so much needed to happen. Please tell me what you think because your comments nearly always make me tear up from happiness. I updated tags a little bit ago but I am also keeping some out to avoid spoilers. Don't worry though, it isn't going to go somewhere really dark that would require a trigger warning, I have no intention of ever writing a surprise character death or including anything more sexually harassing or worse than what happened in this chapter, so feel free to rest easy. Again, tell me what you guys think, the comments make me so unbelievably happy. Until next time~


	14. Pre-Heat and Goodbyes

Viktor debated if he was supposed to say anything as they slipped outside into the cool night air. Personally, he preferred the outside over the crowded club. While he loved gatherings, he just felt too old to truly enjoy them. Or at the very least, appreciate them like Yuuri had been before that guy showed up. 

Viktor smiled quietly to himself, the soulmate connection had been so open lately that it was more than slightly thrilling for him. It felt so  _ open _ between them. Yuuri’s emotions had been nearly constantly decipherable since last night. Speaking of, Viktor was still on cloud nine from the whole incident. “Hey Yuuri?” Viktor asked quietly, finally deciding to break the silence between them since they left the club, seeing as they were quite a distance away. 

“Hm?” Yuuri responded, slowly pulling himself out of his thoughts. The connection between the two had become fuzzy for a bit, and Yuuri hadn’t been about to push it. He had spent the time since leaving the club debating what caused the stranger to bother them. Sure, he was starting to go into pre-heat, but was it that obvious? It was times like these where Yuuri wished he knew more about omega biology, other than what the pamphlet the doctor gave him said, which he briefly skimmed. 

“Can I hold your hand?” Viktor asked, swinging his arms awkwardly as they walked. He honestly wanted to do a million other things with Yuuri, but he knew he should start small. Viktor wanted to try and know everything. What was going through Yuuri’s head? They were supposed to be compatible, but why? What made their souls perfect for each other? Viktor prayed he would have the time and opportunity to figure it out. 

Yuuri blinked a few times, completely pulled from his thoughts with Viktor’s question. A gentle blush ghosted his cheeks, and instead of responding he just grabbed Viktor’s hand gently. Viktor nearly squeaked in surprise, having expected Yuuri to turn down the offer. Yuuri squeezed Viktor’s hand quickly before speaking, “I don’t really know how dating works, but you don’t have to ask for everything. I’ll let you know if I don’t like it, I think that’s something couples are supposed to do at least. I’m not entirely sure.” He said quietly, fighting to stay calm and not panic. 

Viktor smiled weakly, enjoying the feeling of Yuuri’s hand in his. Yuuri’s hand was quite warm compared to his. In fact, were all wolves this hot? Viktor couldn’t be sure, but he thought Yuuri felt warmer than he did last time their skin touched, “You feel warm.” Viktor mused aloud, completely distracted with the notion that Yuuri might be ill. 

Yuuri frowned and bit his lip before pulling on Viktor’s hand, leading him across the street. “I probably am.” He mumbled, suddenly hyper aware of their environment. His sweater felt too warm. Everything felt so constricting. There were too many eyes on them. Too many people, even though there was barely anyone near them. What was this? Part of Yuuri knew he was reacting irrationally, but the rest of him was just screaming to get them both somewhere alone.

Viktor barely knew how to react. Yuuri had a tight grip on his hand and he was getting hot enough that Viktor was no longer debating  _ if  _ Yuuri was sick, but rather,  _ how  _ sick he was. “Yuuri, I’m really confused, what’s going on?” Viktor asked as Yuuri pulled them into an utterly deserted park. 

After a few turns on the path, so they were completely free from sight of  _ anyone _ , Yuuri stopped, letting go of Viktor’s hand. That felt a little better, they were all alone at least. Still, something in Yuuri’s gut was urging him to do something, even though Yuuri had no idea what he wanted to do. He was shifting anxiously, trying to recall the pre-heat symptoms the doctor told him. He couldn’t think very straight at the moment and his brain was fighting to account for how much of his judgement was unreliable. With a small breath, Yuuri’s legs felt like jelly. He wobbled, and before he could fall, Viktor was there, holding him up.

Viktor stared back at Yuuri, with wide, alarmed eyes. Yuuri’s pupils were dilated so nearly no brown was visible. Yuuri’s skin nearly burned Viktor’s where they touched. Viktor was about to ask Yuuri again what was going on when it hit him. Viktor was vaguely aware what he was smelling whatever caused his body’s reaction. The moment he took a breath of Yuuri’s scent, his brain short circuited and it was all he could do to not launch himself at Yuuri. It was intoxicating, arousing, enticing, and mentally consuming. 

Yuuri whimpered in Viktor’s arms, suddenly aware that his pheromones were thick in the air. He wasn’t in heat; it was just a pre-heat flash. All potential fear about going into heat in a fucking park was wiped from Yuuri’s mind. He couldn’t be going into heat yet, his doctor had warned him that he would have at least one pre-heat flash before his actual heat, and he knew he hadn’t had one before now. In short, there was no danger. If there was no danger, then why not indulge?  

Without sparing a second thought, Yuuri let his eyes hungrily take in Viktor half leaning over him. Yuuri was clutched tight in Viktor’s arms, his torso bending back as they were still in the position from Viktor catching him. Yuuri let his hips roll gently against Viktor, whimpering at the contact. His body felt electric, and from the connection, Yuuri knew the feeling was mutual. Wonderfully mutual.

If Yuuri had any doubt about what Viktor was feeling, it was erased when he heard the quiet growl in Viktor’s throat. In a fluid motion, Yuuri was pressed completely against Viktor and Viktor’s lips were on Yuuri’s. Neither knew how to fight the sudden spike of hormones. Viktor from his inexperience with wolf pheromones, Yuuri from his lack of experience altogether. 

Yuuri squeaked into the kiss and quickly slid his hands into Viktor’s silky hair. Yuuri clumsily kissed Viktor back, moaning as he felt Viktor’s tongue slide into his mouth. Yuuri felt like he was going to be eaten up, right there, and he didn’t mind. All rationality was gone, replaced with the pure urge to feel Viktor in every sense of the word. His soulmate. His  _ mate.  _

Just as soon as the flash started, it ended. Yuuri’s hormones died down and his body stopped attempting to pump the air full of pheromones, in fact he was able to try to reign them in. The clarity snapped Yuuri back to reality, fully realizing the position he was in, mid-kiss. Despite the pleasant warmth of the kiss, Yuuri’s clarity reminded him firmly it was spurred on thanks to the pheromones, something he should have better control of. Gently he pushed at Viktor’s shoulders to break the kiss. Viktor immediately pulled away and loosened his grip on Yuuri so they weren’t tightly pressed together.

Viktor stared down at Yuuri, eyes clouded with lust but clearly focusing quickly. A few rapid blinks and Viktor seemed to snap mostly out of it too. “Wh-what was that Yuuri?” Viktor asked quietly, completely letting go and moving away from Yuuri, despite his body’s protests. 

Yuuri seemed to be attempting to gather himself as he spoke, shifting nervously as he willed his body to stop reacting. “I uh, I’m sorry, I meant to tell you before something like that could happen.” Yuuri said, thankful that he wasn’t hard but admittedly starting to freak out because he could feel some slick on his thighs. That, understandably did nothing to soothe Viktor’s nerves and just caused him to freak out more visibly, completely snapping into alarmed focus. Thankfully, Yuuri quickly picked up on Viktor’s emotions and added on, “I’m going into pre-heat, and that was a flash. I was going to tell everyone at the same time. I didn’t think that I would have a flash so soon, the doctor didn’t seem to think I would have to worry for a few more days.”

Viktor stared, thoroughly confused, okay he was going to have to get a thorough explanation of wolf biology soon, but presently he forced himself to focus on the conversation, “Okay, um what’s that mean? I’m new to wolf biology still.” Viktor said lamely, trying not to make Yuuri too uncomfortable, attempting to remember everything Yuri told him about heats.

Yuuri shifted nervously, clearly wanting to start moving but also rooted where he stood, “Well, pre-heat flashes are kind of like a warning, there’s a lot to them, but simply put, it means that my heats coming up. And they’re most noticeable because of the flood of pheromones and spike of hormones for me.” Yuuri bit his slip and looked up at Viktor nervously, “Let’s go home, if I could have another one of those I shouldn’t be out of the house.” Yuuri murmured, looking pained. 

-

Minami was pacing in the living room, much to Yura’s annoyance. Yuri hadn’t expected the call from Yuuri to rile Minami up like this, but he was agitated nonetheless. Yuri hadn’t been trying to hear the conversation between Minami and Yuuri so he wasn’t entirely sure what this was about. Honestly, he wished he had paid more attention, but he had been trying to ignore the conversation since it would be an invasion of Minami’s privacy. When Yuri asked, what happened, Minami just bit his lip and shook his head, saying he’d explain later.

Soon enough the front door was opening and in walked Yuuri who was talking to Phichit, with Chris and Viktor following. “Yuuri, why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea you were going into pre-heat. I would have never suggested that otherwise. I wasn’t looking into the future, you asked me not to and I wasn’t sure how long that applied.”

Yuuri was scowling and avoiding looking at Minami. Yuri found this surprising because it looked like Minami’s brain was literally short-circuiting. Before anyone could speak again Minami started speaking quickly, to his credit in English at least, “Yuuri, fuck, you need to shower. Like, immediately. You reek of pheromones and…” He bit his lip and looked pained and stared up at the ceiling, “Please.” 

Yuuri didn’t hesitate, merely nodding and going upstairs quickly, leaving Minami with their guests. Yuri was simply annoyed, but everyone else looked confused. “Let’s open some windows.” Minami murmured, suddenly busying himself with opening each window and pretending to be relaxed as he talked, “It’s so nice tonight. Plus, with you guys here no mosquitoes will come in. Isn’t that great? Well I mean, you wouldn’t know since mosquitoes don’t bite you, but trust me they are a pain. They give you itchy red bites and totally suck. Definitely the worst part of summer.” He said, turning around grimacing at them, attempting to look fine.

Yuri was staring at him with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what exactly Minami was feeling. Despite how open their connection had been, it was almost suffocating to feel Minami’s newly risen walls between them. Viktor frowned and sat down in the chair while Yuri gave Minami a concerned frown, “What’s wrong?”

Minami opened and closed his mouth a few times, seeming to get more nervous as Chris and Phichit sat down in the loveseat while Yuri made no sign of moving. Finally, Minami gathered himself and started pacing as he explained, “Yuuri’s definitely in pre-heat. He didn’t leave like that, but I can tell by his scent alone that he’s starting to have flashes. Which is fine and all, but I can smell it on him and it’s really uncomfortable. Last time, he went straight into his heat, so um, this is new. I mean, like, we’ve done research, but research doesn’t prepare you enough. I’ve never been around someone in pre-heat like this, so it’s, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable.” Minami carefully left out the part about just how much he could smell on Yuuri, out of respect for his friend, but also out of sheer embarrassment. He also choose to leave out how despite them being friends, Minami’s hormones were getting riled. 

Phichit nodded, and took an audible deep breath, effectively getting everyone’s attention. Despite Yuuri having never clearly tell him he could check his future again, Phichit made the executive decision to check and direct the conversation somewhere other than Yuuri’s impending heat. Phichit let his mind focus on the future and his eyes glossed over blue. 

_ A plane leaving, with Phichit and Chris on it. Celestino and Minako leaving. Yuuri asking Yuri, Viktor, and Minami to leave. Arguments, tension, resolution. An unclear future after that. Too many variables. _

-

Yuuri sighed as he shut the bathroom door and stripped out of his clothes, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. The scars were still there, unsurprisingly. What upset him this time though, was the slight difference in his body since the end of the war. He hadn’t done anything to maintain his physique, and to his annoyance he could tell. Sure, most of his muscles were still there, but there was some softness in places that weren’t there before. 

Was he damned to keep putting on weight unless he tried to maintain his lifestyle from the war? A small burn of self-loathing burned in him as he turned on the water to heat up and looked back over at himself in the mirror. He was an omega, sure, but did his body have to make it so obvious? Minami hadn’t put on any weight since the end of the war. Yuuri knew as much from how he had been watching Minami.

Admittedly he had been comparing them for years physically. Recently, it was more obvious. Minami hadn’t gained an ounce of fat. Part of Yuuri knew that it was because Minami was younger, but he still mostly accounted it to Yuuri being an omega and Minami not. Yuuri let his hands ghost over some of his scars before pinching at the tiniest amount of visible weight. 

He looked so soft like this. Would the other pack members be able to tell he was an omega based on his extra weight alone? In his opinion, definitely. Sure, he could barely pinch more than skin, but it was still there. It was too much; he should try to do something about it. 

He frowned in disgust as he took a breath and was immediately reminded of why Minami had ushered him to take a shower. Even Yuuri could smell the small amount of slick that had wetted his thighs earlier. It was obvious, and it made Yuuri’s stomach churn. How could his body react so impulsively? What the fuck was wrong with him? 

-

Celestino frowned as he watched Minami buzz around the kitchen attempting to cook. The teen had barely looked at him since the incident with Viktor, and it was very apparent. Yuri was seated at the table and was openly watching Minami with an almost gentle expression. Before, Celestino had been too distracted to pay much attention to Minami’s and Yuri’s interactions, but with only the three of them in the kitchen, now seemed like the best time to bring it up, “What’s going on between you two?”

To his credit, Yuri looked embarrassed at having obviously been caught staring. Minami flat out jumped, quickly turning around, glancing at Yuri. When Yuri didn’t meet Minami’s eyes, since he was too busy staring at the ceiling, Minami responded, “Well, um, we’re soulmates.” He said quietly, knowing Celestino would hear him regardless. 

A few slow blinks later and Celestino fully processed what Minami had said, “ _ What?” _ Celestino looked quickly between Minami and Yuri, before sighing heavily and running his hand down his face, “That explains Yuuri’s threat much better.” 

Before the conversation could possibly be pushed forward, Phichit and Chris strolled in followed by Minako. “So we’re heading out today, so Minami~ I’m going to need a lot of food, airplane food sucks.” Phichit said happily, sitting down at the table on the opposite side of Yuri and Celestino, turning around and straddling his chair backwards to talk to the teen. 

Chris sat down next to him and gave Celestino a considering look before nodding at Yuri in acknowledgement. Minami made a face, “I don’t really know if I can cook anything that good, but I’ll try. Since I am the best at making food here, Yuuri loves my cooking.” He said with a confident, albeit fake, smile. Mostly he just wanted to get in a few more teasing shots at Phichit.

Phichit knew a challenge when he saw one. Quickly he was up and helping Minami with starting to cook, in between comebacks that were more affectionate than malicious. No one, thankfully, commented on the gentle smell of blood in the air. Phichit was wearing a choker on his neck that he kept adjusting, and it was obvious that he had just let Chris feed from him. Yuri wondered just how do you get to the point where you decide that your relationship is there. Minami itched to ask Phichit just about everything about it, but he refrained, knowing he might not get a straight answer with Yura there.

It’s not that he was itching to have Yura bite him, but he wanted to be able to provide for him, in weird way. It was mostly based on instincts. Wolves wanted to be able to provide what their soulmates needed, and Yuri needed blood. Minami knew Yura had every other need of his undeniably covered, but this was something he could help with. Plus, what would it feel like? Yuri’s mouth on his neck sounded heavenly on its own, not to mention the satisfaction of providing for his soulmate would make it otherworldly. 

The quiet banter died down as Yuuri entered, followed by Viktor and Minako. Yuuri smelled nothing like Viktor so they hadn’t slept in the same bed last night. Minami was infinitely grateful, from what he knew, pre-heat flashes were unpredictable but if they had already been in bed together when one happened, it probably wouldn’t have gone well. Or rather, it would have gone a little too well. 

Yuuri smelled normal to Minami but Celestino visibly flinched. Yuuri sat down across from Celestino, watching calmly as Minako sat next to the other. Viktor sat next to Yuuri and turned to glance at Chris. Yuuri’s posture made it apparent that he was not about to have a lazy early morning conversation. Celestino beat him to the punch, “We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

Viktor frowned and rose a confused eyebrow, confused as to why Celestino thought Yuuri was going to ask them to leave. Yuuri didn’t seem surprised, “You’re not just going to leave and do whatever. I want you two to set up a summit for three weeks from now.” Minami tensed but stayed calm at Yuuri’s words. He had anticipated them, but Minako and Celestino looked taken aback. 

“A summit? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Minako said quickly, obviously confused as she continued, “Yuuri, I know the initiative is something typical for you but you need to take time to think this over. Your health isn’t very reliable and you’re in a very delicate part of your life. You don’t have to rush this.”

“Avoiding this will do me no good, it’ll only hurt me in the long run. I need to do this as soon as possible, regardless of my health.” Yuuri said firmly, using a tone that left no room for argument. “I’ll leave it up to you both where it should be held, but I would like to officially have one. Let them know I expect everyone to be there.” He said calmly before adding, “I worked hard to show no weakness, I can’t start now.”

Yuuri’s voice gave the conversation a firm sense of finality, Viktor though, was not exactly ready to drop the subject, “What is a summit? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.” He said, trying to remember if he had heard about them and simply forgotten.

Minami responded as he put something in the oven and walked over, so he was standing by Yuuri’s side, “A summit is a gathering of important pack members to discuss the future of the pack. They aren’t necessary most of the time and have no schedule. Last one was to discuss starting the war, the one before was to hand the leader position to Mari, the one before that was to discuss Mari finding her soulmate, and the one before  _ that _ was over a century ago. There’s no pattern.” Minami supplied, running a hand through his hair. “Sara seemed surprised that you hadn’t called one yet, I’m sure everyone will come.” Minami said, shrugging before walking over and sitting down next to his Yura, “I’m sure you’ll want to discuss this extensively later, Yuuri.” Minami said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. 

Yuuri nodded, “Of course, but for now, let’s just try to just get through breakfast.”

-

Despite everyone’s tensions, Yuri and Viktor came with Yuuri and Minami to see everyone off at the airport. The differences between how the goodbyes went were almost painful. Celestino left without much other than a handshake from Yuuri and a small wave from Minami. Yuuri probably would have been more emotional about it if it weren’t for how Viktor’s limp was a little too apparent for his tastes.

Minako’s leaving was more emotion, Yuuri smiling and letting her hug him firmly, while she said her goodbye in his ear. Phichit and Minami gave Minako a quick hug each. Minami promised he’d keep Yuuri safe while Phichit said he was glad to have finally gotten to meet her.

Once she left, Chris and Phichit needed to part to catch their flight, “Are you sure you don’t want me to keep an eye on your future?” Phichit said, tilting his head to the side, frowning slightly. He had never tried to calculate much about this part of Yuuri’s future, so he was nervous. Yuuri tended to attract danger more than most people breathed. 

Yuuri smiled gently, taking Phichit’s hands in his and swinging them between them, “Yes, I’m sure. It’s going to be chaotic for a while. If you want to know how I’m doing, just call me or Minami.” He said, trying to reassure his friend. 

Minami decided to break into the conversation and hug Phichit from the side tightly, “Don’t forget to text me, we’re friends now, so if I throw Yuuri a surprise party, I need to be able to get a hold of you. Also, who else am I supposed to share cute Yuuri moments with if you ignore me. I will hunt you down if you ignore me, got it?” Minami said, puffing his cheeks out and trying to sound threatening. The hug ruined the effect though.

Phichit chuckled at Minami’s antics and hugged him back as best as he could, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep in touch. I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful partnership.” Phichit said with a sly grin.

Yuri watched awkwardly as Chris and Viktor said their goodbyes, “I’m going to miss seeing you around, don’t be a stranger, okay?” Chris said with a sad smile, “If I only hear from you because Yuuri said something to Phichit, I’m going to have to give you a piece of my mind. Things are changing fast, but I don’t want our friendship to be one of them.”

Viktor smiled, “I’m hurt, as though I could lose touch with my best friend. I’ll try and keep a better eye on my phone though.” Viktor said pulling Chris into a tight hug, “Besides, we’ve got too much history for me to just leave you now. We’re family.” Viktor concluded with a firm squeeze to Chris before pulling away. 

Chris politely ignored the tears budding in Viktor’s eyes as they parted ways, knowing Viktor would go into hysterics with any real prompting. Minami and Yuuri waved goodbye at Phichit together, wishing simultaneously that Phichit had left sooner and that he could never leave. Never leave because he was nice to be around, leave sooner because things were going to get intense fast.

As the four walked towards the exit, both pairs fell into quiet conversation, “Why did they want to leave so fast, anyway? I know you’re going into pre-heat, but still.” Viktor found himself asking, looping an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders to be casual. Some strangers were watching Yuuri, and Viktor felt the sudden urge to make it visibly apparent Yuuri was with him.

Yuuri blushed softly, trying to tell himself that it was just to ease up on the pressure on Viktor’s leg. He pretended he didn’t know for a fact it was because they were being watched, “Alphas can smell that I’m in pre-heat without any flashes or something happening recently. It’s probably why we’re being watched honestly. Minako and Celestino might see me as family, but if rumors are even close to true, it would still be very uncomfortable for them. Plus, the sooner they left the less chance of something bad happening.” 

Viktor nodded, following what Yuuri said to a degree, “What are the rumors?” He found himself asking regardless. Were the rumors something about Yuuri or Minako and Celestino? Viktor hoped neither since it was already making him find some things a little disgusting. Uncomfortable? Hopefully, Yuuri wasn’t implying what Viktor thought he was.

Yuuri frowned and looked down, letting his bangs hide his eyes from Viktor’s view. “Supposedly, the first year or so of having heats, omegas smell especially good during pre-heat. I guess to assure that a heat results in something. Since pre-heat traditionally is to guarantee a partner.” Yuuri said, trying to ignore his own embarrassment. He didn’t want to think about it too hard, but the notion of sharing his heat with someone had its appeal. His last heat had been spent locked in his room with Minami on guard at the door. It had been to assure the secrecy of everything as well as his safety, but it had been physical torture. It’s easy to get too sore to do anything on your own. Being too exhausted and in too much pain to do anything was torture, simply hell on Earth. For a moment, Yuuri imagined having Viktor spend it with him and quickly threw out the thought. No way would Viktor want to, not to mention Viktor’s body wouldn’t react like a wolf’s and that probably wouldn’t end well. 

“Oh, I guess that makes sense, creepy, but I kind of get it.” Viktor admitted, trying not to think about what that implied for Yuuri and himself. If Yuuri could get pregnant did that mean Viktor should invest in condoms? Or maybe that was jumping the gun. A shiver went down Viktor’s spine, remembering how the previous night went.

Yuri let Minami swing their hands between them, much to his embarrassment. He might have stopped his soulmate, if it weren’t for the thought nagging at the back of his mind, “Hey, Ken?” Yuri began carefully. 

Minami looked at him, eyes bright with affection. When Minami saw Yuri’s expression though, some of the light faded into concern, “What is it, Yura?” The happy buzz he had gotten from Yuri using a nickname disappearing as worry replaced the emotion.

“Are you going to keep aging? I know wolves age really differently, but I wasn’t sure.” Yuri found himself asking. It was something he had begun to consider recently. Celestino and Minako were centuries old, so of course they looked older, but there wasn’t much of a noticeable difference between Yuuri and Minami. If Minami kept aging though, wouldn’t it make them look weird together? Yuri did look young. He had worried about it before when he realized he stopped aging and he still looked young. What would Minami think though? If Minami kept aging until he was as old as, or older, than Yuuri, would he be okay with doing this together in public?

Minami frowned, trying to figure out what Yuri was getting at without directly asking. As he tried to piece it together, it hit him. “Probably not by much for a few decades at least. I won’t go through another growth spurt, if you’re worried about me getting taller. Wolves tend to only get growth spurts when we’re younger.” Minami supplied, squeezing Yuri’s hand gently.

Yuri felt the tension leave him, something about Minami helped him relax, and he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

-

Yuuri shut the front door behind them as they entered the house, it felt so empty with the absence of four of his guests. Yuuri was just starting to debate where he should start cleaning when Minami piped up, “So what’s the game plan for your heat? Last time was a rush job; we should take advantage of the extra time to prepare, right?”

Yuuri sighed, he was hoping everyone would forget about it. It was a stupid hope, but still. Yuuri was less than comfortable with talking about his heat. It still felt new and foreign to him. Sure, he had known he was going to have one for years, but that didn’t mean he was completely okay with it. It was a lot to take in. Plus, planning might be difficult considering how he only had a vague recollection of how his last one went. Heat haze tends to make it difficult to remember most things. Running a hand through his hair, Yuuri responded, hoping, against the odds, that Minami would accept his idea at face value, “Well aside from the cleaning that we need to do and the stocking up on food, we should decide where you three are going to stay.”

Minami blinked a few times, before snapping back, “The  _ three _ of us? You’re not staying here alone Yuuri, that’s a horrible idea, sure I didn’t have to do much last time, but it doesn’t mean that you can just be left here.” Minami said scowling as he followed Yuuri into the living room, not looking but hearing Viktor and Yuri follow.

“What happened last time?” Yuri asked, not quite getting it. Why was Minami there last time? Surely they hadn’t done anything, but still. 

Yuuri frowned and responded, knowing that Viktor was probably hanging onto every word, “Last time it started very suddenly, so I stayed in the bedroom with Minami standing guard outside. If someone had shown up, I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself. A locked door should be fine though; I don’t see the issue.” Yuuri said calmly, plopping down in the chair, trying to sound more sure than he was.

“A locked door won’t do jack shit against a wolf, you know that.” Minami said with a scowl before glancing at Viktor, “Why doesn’t Viktor stay with you? I doubt we’ll be able to keep him far away anyway.” Minami countered, knowing Yuuri would want to wiggle out of the issue as soon as possible. 

Viktor looked offended, “I would never lay a hand on Yuuri without his permission. I can easily control myself.” He said, unable to fully believe that Minami had just implied he wouldn’t have the self-control to stay away.

Minami rolled his eyes, “That’s not what I meant. When a wolves’ soulmate is in heat, even if they aren’t doing anything like that, most can’t stay too far away. They get protective. Hell, Leo once nearly broke my arm when Guang Hong went into heat and I was too close by for his tastes.” Minami responded, rubbing his arm as he recalled the memory, “Leo is a calm guy, and he knows I see Guang Hong like a brother, but it was only Guang Hong’s begging that got him to snap out of it.” Minami supplied. 

“But that’s wolves, Minami. I’m sure it has more to do with wolf instincts than the soulmate connection.” Yuuri retorted, “We shouldn’t bank on Viktor’s reaction to something. That’s just a bad idea. I guess if you really think I shouldn’t be alone, I could always stay at a clinic or something.” Yuuri said, having considered the idea as soon as he realized clinic’s let individuals going into heat stay there if they had no other options. 

Minami scowled, “I’m not letting you stay with strangers, those are for emergencies, you deserve better. I could always stay here with you, I’d be fine, I could just wear nose plugs or something.” Minami suggested, personally thinking any alternative was better than Yuuri’s idea. 

“That’s a horrible idea. You’ll get anxious and agitated, you know that. Your body will react differently since you have Yuri now. That is, if you don’t flat out want to bolt completely.” Yuuri argued.

Minami looked dejected, knowing Yuuri had a point, but still uncertain on what to suggest. He couldn’t just let Yuuri be alone during his heat. What if something happened? Everyone’s heard of the horror stories of either the wrong person coming by, or a freakish accident, like getting seriously hurt and not being able to get ahold of anyone.

Viktor had been listening attentively, and before he could second guess the idea, he spoke up, “I could stay with Yuuri to protect him. I can stay on the other side of the door so nothing bad would happen, problem solved. Sure, it won’t be as instinctive, but I’ll still know that Yuuri needs me to protect him.” Viktor said, looking at Yuuri with a determined stare. He wanted to be able to show Yuuri he could protect him. 

Yuuri blinked, visibly startled, and seemed taken aback. Minami glanced at Yuuri, clearly leaving the decision up to Yuuri, since he couldn’t think of any inherent problems with the idea. Yuuri blinked a few times, slowly realizing that Viktor was in fact serious and being forced to acknowledge the suggestion as a legitimate offer. “Um, that sounds like a good idea.” Yuuri admitted with a small nod. 

Viktor grinned at him while Minami looked pleased, “That’s settled then, Yuri and I can stay with my family during it and in the meantime, we can help you prep everything.” Minami said, looking pleased with the outcome. 

Yuri startled, “Your family?” He figured Minami had a family, but he didn’t expect to suddenly hear about them by being told he’d be staying with them with Minami. 

Minami blinked and tilted his head to the side, confused by Yuri’s reaction, “Well, there’s only so many people we could stay with in Japan, since I don’t really want to leave the country when something could come up, I could find someone else if you’d like.” Minami amended, having not considered previously that Yuri might not find the idea overly favorable. 

“I think I’d rather stay with someone else, if it’s not too much trouble. I mean, how long do we have to find a place to go? You guys haven’t said just how long Yuuri’s pre-heat is going to last.” Yuri said, pleading that they would have the time. There was something intimidating about the thought of meeting Minami’s family. Mostly because he had no idea how important they were to Minami.

“About a week or less is what the doctor said.” Yuuri said with a shrug, “It’s not very exact, the pre-heat flashes will become more and more frequent until my heat starts.” He said hoping that they would have the full week. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, for this wonderful chapter I got a lot of help from my new beta reader/friend/super-awesome-amazing-person-who-I-just-never-want-to-stop-thanking Gabby! Her tumblr is thelastchappie if you want to check her out!


	15. Nerves

Yuuri was anxious, and that was putting it mildly. He was half tempted to vomit from nerves. Had he not been terrified out of his mind the first time he went into heat, he knew he would have gone through the same thing then. The thing was, he had no idea how to handle this. He, unfortunately, had little recollection of how his last heat went. And if those memories were anything to go on, he was not looking forward to trying to reign himself in this time. 

Having little to no filter was not something he was going to enjoy. All that he had as a clue for what would happen was media and his vague memories. Movies did not help. In them, if an omega had a heat without being on birth control and was around their soulmate they would  _ always _ end up pregnant. Yuuri would have invested in some birth control if his doctor hadn’t warned him that if he used some it could end poorly. Apparently, his body was essentially a wild card for health issues now, so adding another variable to the mix was dangerous.

Yuuri’s recent bingeing of movies with omegas in them was getting out of hand. He needed to know more about what could or would happen. He was absolutely terrified. Mostly the movies involved the omega coming to at the end of it in the arms of their beloved. They would freak out; their beloved would calm them and say they were more than okay with starting a family with them. And, while this was a sweet notion, Yuuri was not about to have any bit of it.

Even if that was exactly how it happened to all real omegas, Yuuri would be damned if that happened to him. He was never going to be like those cliché characters in films, swooning into their mate’s arms, ready to be whisked away to a nice domestic life. Sure, he’d probably end up there eventually, but that did not mean he was going to just melt into a motherly role. Not to mention how unrealistic it seemed. You can’t just spontaneously have a heat, end up pregnant, and drop everything to be a mom. No worries? No stress? Fuck that. He had a job to do.

It wasn’t that Yuuri didn’t trust Viktor. He trusted him, he believed Viktor wouldn’t take advantage of him, but anxiety was whispering otherwise. Anxiety nudged at Yuuri’s mind, and it was hard to ignore. 

Yuuri fidgeted as he re-read the list of things he needed, double checking to make sure he had everything written down. Minami had offered to get everything while Yuri, Viktor, and Yuuri stayed home. Yuri had wanted to come with but a vampire would freak out any omegas nearby and considering where Minami was going to be, that was a no go.

So, Minami left, kissing Yuri on the cheek good-bye and hugging Yuuri before slipping out the door. Since they needed the things Minami was getting before they could start cleaning, Yuuri decided to take the opportunity to discuss some important matters. 

Yuuri sighed as he walked into the living room, running his hand through his hair. He was wishing he could have a vacation with how stressed he was feeling, but he had to focus. He looked over at Yuri who was looking through his phone in the chair and at Viktor who was reading a book Yuuri didn’t recognize while sitting on the couch. Yuuri decided he might as well break the silence as he sat down on the other end of the couch, “Do either of you want to go to the summit with me and Minami? Traditionally only wolves can attend, but considering what I’m going to bring up it wouldn’t be out of place for either of you to be there.”

Yuri didn’t even look up, “Sounds boring as hell, count me out.” 

Viktor frowned, “I would say the same, but how do you think it’s going to go? I don’t want to leave you alone if you’re going to be in danger.” Viktor said, closing his book and looking somber as he watched Yuuri with careful eyes. He had started to pick up that Yuuri preferred to gloss over any danger to himself, so Viktor knew he should watch what Yuuri said carefully. Out of the corner of Viktor’s eye he noticed Yuri was also watching with concern, realizing Viktor might have a bit of a point.

Yuuri shifted, attempting to look bored but failing and just looking anxious, “The leader used to be the strongest pack member, then it changed to being inherited. But anyone could probably bring back the old ways by challenging me for the spot.” Yuuri hesitated, clearly debating whether he should be honest. He nearly lied but stopped when he realized Viktor would be able to feel it in the connection, “Someone will definitely challenge me. That will be a physical fight, but I’ll have to accept. if I refused or avoided it, I’d have to forfeit my spot as leader. Thankfully, I’ll probably only have one, maybe two challengers. Nothing I can’t handle.” Yuuri said with a shrug, relaxing as he spoke, feeling reassured by his own abilities. 

Viktor wasn’t so relaxed, “Will these fights be dangerous? Surely it wouldn’t be a duel.” As soon as the words left Viktor’s mouth, he could feel through the connection that he was wrong, “Yuuri, are you really going to risk your life by trying to kill two of your fellow packmates? While _ they're _ trying to kill  _ you? _ ” Viktor couldn’t help the concern and terror that slipped into his voice.

Yuri cut in as well, “What would happen to Minami if they killed you?”

Yuuri stayed silent for a moment, flinching at both of their words, “Minami would be fine, no one would hurt him because I lost. They could hurt him for any number of other reasons, but not because of that. And, no I’m not risking my life on that, I don’t have to kill them, they would just have to kill me. All I have to do is prove I’m undeniably stronger than them.” 

“You’d be willing to die for a title?” Yuri asked, voice dripping in disbelief. Who would be so stupid as to think the role of leader was so important? Sure, Yuri wanted to lead the vampires, but that was an unintentional opportunity he had, not something he sought out. 

Viktor stared at his soulmate, temporarily enraged at Yuuri’s reckless plans, before Viktor forced himself to take a breath and think about how Yuuri must be feeling. The title of leader was something Yuuri cherished nearly above all else, he blamed his mother’s death and his birth on it. Viktor could hardly fault Yuuri for wanting to protect something he had lost so much to acquire. Not to mention if Yuuri didn’t care, he could have given it up and never started the war. “I’ll come with.” Viktor said quickly, before he could doubt his own decision. “If someone might try to kill you, I want to be there to stop it. Or if you won’t let me, to at least hold your hand before it happens.” Viktor said, trying to ignore how terrifyingly frail Yuuri seemed.

Sure, Yuuri wasn’t human. But that didn’t mean Yuuri wasn’t delicate compared to Viktor. Yuuri’s life, at maximum was only going to be one fifth of Viktor’s. And that was assuming Yuuri lived five-hundred years and Viktor died the moment Yuuri did. Viktor shoved the thought from his mind though as Yuuri responded, “Thank you, I really appreciate that.” Yuuri said giving Viktor a sad smile. “Yuri, do you want to come?” Yuuri continued.

“Like I’d let you idiots get yourselves killed without me.” Viktor visibly took that as Yuri declining to come so Yuri added, “I’m coming, you’re not the only one who wants to protect your soulmate. Yuuri, want to fill us in on who’s who? Considering I’m sure you’re the only wolf Viktor bothered to remember anything about.”

Yuuri’s eyebrows shot straight up, but the glance at Viktor told him that it was true, “Well, I’m not entirely certain who all will be showing up, but I can do my best to point out anyone who will probably be important. Aside from my family, there are two major other influential ones, the Crispino's from Italy and the Leroy’s from Canada. The Crispino's just have the two youngest children that are most important. They are twins named Michele and Sara. Michele is very serious but he’s a good person, albeit a little obsessed with Sara. Sara is a friend of Minami’s and mine, she’s very kind but can be just as ruthless as Michele. If they weren’t siblings they’d probably have a good shot at one of them becoming pack leader.”

Viktor frowned, “If she’s your friend, did she fight in the war? Or is she too young?” He figured it would matter, Yuuri wasn’t exactly being specific with the ages. Plus, if she  _ had _ fought Viktor or Yuri, her reaction to them would be significantly different than if she hadn't . 

“She’s only a decade or so older than me, but she still fought in it. You probably didn’t meet her though, she purposely stayed to defend the wolf-controlled European countries, for personal reasons. You might have fought her brother, he fought closer to here. Though, he probably won’t remember you if you did. Michele only holds grudges against people who mess with Sara.” Yuuri said, looking contemplative, trying to think of if there was anything else important about the pair he should bring up, “They’re both betas if that matters, but also, Michele’s soulmate is a guy named Emil, he’s very friendly so with him and Sara around, Michele's harmless.”

“Does Sara have a soulmate? You said personal reasons for staying near Europe, is it something we should know about?” Yuri asked, pausing his tapping on his phone. He looked like he was texting or just making a blog post but in all honesty, he was taking notes. 

“Yes, but she hasn’t met them yet. Though…” Yuuri frowned and trailed off, “She said they lived in Russia, so I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say they might be a vampire. She was very firm about refusing to go too close to Russia. I’d have to say her soulmate doesn’t know that she’s a wolf. Sara’s affectionate, I can’t imagine she’d be staying away from her soulmate without good reason.” Yuuri mused, then quickly changing the subject before Viktor or Yuri could comment on the possible third Russian vampire with a wolf soulmate.

“The Leroy’s are probably the ones who will give us the most trouble. The parents are around as old as mine would be, but their son is younger than me. Some even saw it as a pointed demonstration that their genes were strong enough to have another child so late into his mother’s life, but there was never any confirmation. Their son is an alpha that goes by JJ. Simply put, he’s arrogant. I mean, he’s good enough to justify it, but we’ve never gotten along. His soulmate is a beta named Isabella, she’s not of much concern though. She’s only an issue as they demonstrate a more traditional wolf couple.” Yuuri explained, frowning as he drummed his fingers on the armrest of the couch. He was thoroughly annoyed with the situation.

“Would it be too much to assume this JJ is one of the people who’s going to challenge you?” Viktor said carefully. On one hand, he wasn’t entirely sure if he should be concerned with the fact that this JJ was an alpha. Google said that alphas tended to be stronger, but how did Yuuri stack up? Yuuri had to have been stronger than the average omega, but was he still stronger than an alpha? “Also, have we met him?”

Yuuri shook his head quickly, “You’d remember JJ if you had, so I doubt it. And yes, I’m certain he will. Michele would if he had a soulmate he could have a child with, but I doubt he’ll challenge me. He may ask Sara to, since I’m sure he doesn’t know anything about her soulmate.”

Yuri scowled, “This is stupid, you realize that, right? The most qualified person should get the job, not whoever can have the best case for having strong kids. Personally, I think you guys should do it like we do instead of this infighting.” Yuri said bluntly, not about to hold back any of his emotions on the matter. After all, most if not all their problems would be solved if it weren’t for the kid thing.

A loud laugh startled both Yuri and Viktor, “Exactly.” Yuuri said, with an uncharacteristically mischievous smile on his face, “If it becomes apparent they don’t want to risk one of my children becoming the next leader, I actually intend to suggest us switching leadership styles. Sure, it’ll still have politics go with it, but it’ll destroy our current monarchy-like system, and that would be the best.” 

“Are you serious?” Viktor said, his mouth falling open, “Yuuri, you just said you’d defend the title with your life, I think I’m missing how your logic makes that a good idea.”

Yuuri nodded, “I did. The main reason is because I don’t think anyone else is ready for the job. Sure, I can’t say for certain none of them will ever be, but I can safely say no one is ready right now. There is potential for the future though. I just don’t want all my sacrifices to go to waste.” Yuuri said, looking up at the ceiling, “It’s easy to react to instincts, but I can’t let them destroy what I’ve done because of impulsive reactions.” The atmosphere seemed to turn sour with Yuuri’s statement. It was still a bit shocking for Viktor and Yuri to see this side of Yuuri.

Viktor frowned, unsure of how to best reassure his soulmate. Sure, he could say something about how he’s sure Yuuri can handle it, but that probably won’t do much. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you.” Viktor said with a small smile, attempting to reassure his soulmate. Viktor smiled wider at Yuuri’s slight response to his words.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Yuuri admitted, a nervous smile gracing his face.

-

When Minami finally got home, it was quite the sight. He had his arms full to the brim with bags, ranging from the bookstore, to the grocery. “Hey guys, check out what I got!” He called into the house as he rushed the food bags into the kitchen and carried the others into the living room with him. Yuri had clearly just sat up with a barely contained curious expression. Yuuri was typing away on a laptop while Viktor read on the couch beside him, neither bothering to look up. “Rude, I got you all stuff, and you’re not even looking, I’m hurt.” He said, setting the bags down on the table. 

Yuuri shut his laptop and watched as Yuri grabbed one of the bags and, before Minami could stop him, he pulled out a book, “ _ ‘How to Seduce Your Soulmate for Dummies’ _ if that’s for me, I’m offended.” Yuri dead-panned, knowing Minami would never be so passive aggressive. 

Minami squeaked and grabbed the book, blushing deeply, “Th-that’s for someone else, not you guys! Just, um, one of my other friends.” He said, quickly setting the book aside and looking back at Yuri, “The rest of the stuff is for the four of us.” He added, praying he hadn’t bought any other horribly embarrassing books and forgotten about it.

Yuri chuckled and grabbed another book before chucking it at Yuuri. Yuuri quickly caught it, and read the title aloud, “ ’ _ Russian for the Beginner _ ’ I appreciate this, thank you, I wanted to get something like this.” He said smiling at Minami, making the teen flush. Yuuri praising him was a treat, shoot him for getting flustered. 

Yuri by now had pulled out another book and turned a bright shade of red. Upon Yuri’s lack of reaction, Viktor looked over at the title of the book, blushing as well, it was a book on wolf biology simply put. 

Viktor opted to look through the other bags, deciding that surely nothing could be more awkward. He was horribly wrong. The first bag he grabbed just so happened to be the one from the drug store. Inside were clearly things that Minami decided they needed. Including, but not limited to, birth control, condoms, lube, and a massager. Viktor quickly shoved the bag away, far too embarrassed. Yuuri looked over and flushed too, “Minami, I didn’t ask you to get that.” Yuuri said, trying to ignore how his face burned. 

Minami only shrugged, “But you might need it, preparation is key, or at least that’s what the guy at the store told me.” He said cheerily. Yuri frowned and when Minami noticed, he quickly added, “Don’t worry, I made sure he knew that I was very much taken and that I had a nice scary soulmate that would give him hell if he hit on me.”

Yuri’s eyebrows shot up, flattered. He knew Minami liked him, but he always wanted to seem intimidating and it filled him with pride to know that Minami took him seriously, despite his slim frame. 

Yuuri tried to ignore his obviously red face and grabbed some cleaning supplies from a bag and stood, “I’m going to go clean the bedroom.” He said before quickly walking out of the room, thoroughly embarrassed. He failed to see how Minami was so comfortable with something that Yuuri knew he had no experience in. 

Once safely inside his room, Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief. The room was quiet with the door shut and the smell was comforting and familiar. He stretched and squared his shoulders, deciding that the work would help him clear his mind. He set the cleaning supplies on the dresser and slid on a mask to help keep the chemicals and dust out. His heightened sense of smell admittedly made him especially vulnerable to things in the air. 

He was just stripping the bed of the blankets when there was a soft knock at the door. “Come in,” Yuuri said, frowning slightly as he sat down on the edge of the bed, figuring it was probably Minami  there to apologize. 

When Viktor cautiously walked in, Yuuri was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t been spending a second thought on the connection, too consumed with his own embarrassment and anxiety. He pushed aside his own guilt though when Viktor nervously made eye contact, “I thought you’d like some help.” He said, fixing Yuuri was a cheerful smile.

Yuuri stared for a moment, and through the connection felt Viktor’s resolve weaken and threaten to give. Before Viktor could retract the offer though, Yuuri’s face melted into a small smile, “I’d like that, thank you.” He said softly, standing. “Though you don’t have to, it is my room to clean.” He said with a shrug, trying not to think too much about it. It was a surprising kindness; he shouldn’t take it too seriously.

Viktor chuckled, “I know I don’t have to, but how else am I going to guarantee some time just to hang out by ourselves?” He said with a wink as he walked over to where Yuuri had laid out the cleaning supplies. Viktor picked up one of the bottles and tried to hide how soothing he found being in Yuuri’s room felt. 

When Yuuri walked over and started quietly translating, Viktor got distracted staring at Yuuri. He hadn’t noticed before but Yuuri was significantly shorter than him. This close, it was also apparent that Yuuri was smaller than most wolves. Normally Viktor didn’t pay much attention to it, but since Yuuri was standing next to him to properly read the labels on the cleaning supplies, they were close. Close enough to smell his sweet scent and count Yuuri’s eyelashes. Viktor nearly chocked when Yuuri looked up at him, finally noticing how distracted Viktor was.

Yuuri’s words caught in his throat at the look Viktor was giving him. It was delicate and considering. Yuuri’s heart fluttered. It wasn’t the sudden flutter of his hormones kicking up, but his heart speeding up at the tenderness Viktor was looking at him with. “Viktor?” He murmured, hoping it would get Viktor to either clarify what was going on or break the moment.

Viktor licked his lips that suddenly felt dry, “Yes, Yuuri?” He murmured, maintaining eye contact. Yuuri looked so gentle now, as opposed to his normally guarded expression. Viktor would have felt guilty for being with Yuuri while he looked so vulnerable but through the connection he could feel Yuuri’s happy flutter of nerves, sparking a sense of pride in his chest. Without thinking a moment longer, Viktor leaned down and carefully kissed Yuuri.

Yuuri’s heart stuttered as their lips connected and just as his eyes slid closed, Viktor was pulling away. He nearly pulled him back, but the sweetness of the moment demanded that he refrain. There was no spike of hormones that caused it and it was simply just because Viktor wanted to. There was no other explanation, and as that occurred to Yuuri, his face went dark red.

Viktor’s eyes searched his face carefully, trying to read Yuuri’s reaction better. Through the connection, Viktor couldn’t feel much other than the swarm of panicked nerves. Viktor straightened his posture and frowned, “I’m sorry, was that okay?” He asked gently. Last time didn’t seem entirely intentional or planned; more like, he was close while Yuuri’s hormones spiked. They hadn’t talked about it much, so, it wouldn’t exactly be contradictory to hear that Yuuri didn’t want their relationship to progress that fast yet.

Yuuri blinked rapidly, hearing Viktor’s self-doubt in his voice. Quickly, he shook his head, “No, that was fine, I was just, um, er, surprised is all.” Yuuri clarified, not about to let Viktor get the wrong impression about whether he wanted to kiss him, “I’m sorry that our first kiss wasn’t this one.” He added, feeling guilt spike in his chest, knowing that first kisses with soulmates were supposed to be tender, not the mess of hormones theirs was. 

Before Yuuri could continue that train of thought, Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, “First kisses aren’t normally planned, besides, it was unique like you, and I’ll never forget it.” Viktor said with a tender smile, hoping he could reassure Yuuri. Memories of Yuuri’s self-doubt and guilt from before they'd met buzzed in Viktor’s mind. He had been so worried for his soulmate. Now that he had found him, didn’t it make sense that he tried to help?

Yuuri smiled softly, unable to hide his appreciation for Viktor’s words. Carefully he pecked Viktor’s cheek, “Thank you, let’s get some cleaning done though, okay?” He said, trying to change the subject from his own anxiety. 

Viktor pretended to pout, “But how am I supposed to clean and compliment you at the same time?” He said with a teasing glint in his eyes, smiling at Yuuri’s startled reaction. 

-

Hours later, they had made significant progress. All the fabrics, nearly all of them clean of dirt but still heavy in scent, were in a pile by the door and all the surfaces had been wiped down and disinfected. Yuuri was an efficient cleaner but unfortunately not very talkative. So, Viktor had spent his extra moments watching Yuuri and soaking up the feeling of being in his room. Viktor had admittedly gotten distracted ‘sorting’ the loads of laundry. By sorting, that of course meant watching Yuuri’s back and or looking around the room. Viktor snapped out of it when Yuuri fell on his back into the pile of laundry in front of him.

Yuuri turned on his side facing towards Viktor, “Is something wrong? You’ve been staring at just about everything here.” He said, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what had been on Viktor’s mind this entire time. 

Viktor blinked in surprise before raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk, “You are aware I’ve never been in your room before, right?” He had wished he had, but unfortunately this was still the first time. It was sad that after all this time this was the first time he had been in here, but in all honesty Yuuri didn’t spend much time in his room.

Yuuri’s eyebrows shot up and he sat up, “Really? I thought…” He frowned, thinking for a moment about whether Viktor had ever been there. Sure enough, Yuuri couldn’t remember a time where he had. Yuuri had gone to Viktor’s room, but Viktor hadn’t been in his. “Oh, uh, sorry, I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” Yuuri admitted, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. 

Viktor chuckled, “I thought you were a werewolf not a werecat.” He snorted as Yuuri lightly tapped him with his fist in annoyance. Admittedly, it was much more enjoyable than getting punched in the jaw during the war.

“Those don’t exist and you know it.” Yuuri grumbled, sitting up and scooting closer to Viktor, “Though if I’m honest, it would be cool to see one of those. Poor souls, stuck only being able to shift into cats. Wait, fuck.” Yuuri looked away, considering it, “They could literally live the life of a cat. Beautiful.” 

Viktor frowned and rose an eyebrow, “Isn’t there something that would make it difficult to do that? Surely transforming isn’t that easy to maintain, there has to be a limitation.” Viktor said, recalling all the times they had managed to catch the wolves unawares because they were in their human forms instead of the much more lethal wolf forms.

Yuuri frowned deeply in consideration, “Well for us it takes a lot of energy to shift and maintain our forms, but that’s mostly because we’re in a form that’s larger than our human bodies. If it was that much smaller, they’d probably just need to eat more food than a normal cat and they’d be fine.” He said pouting, “That would be a fantastic way to get out of responsibilities.”

Viktor chuckled, amused at how seriously Yuuri was taking this, “Well, while I’m sure you as a cat would be adorable, I like you better like this.” Viktor said, delighted in the way Yuuri flushed at the compliment, “You blush so easily, is it because it’s me or do you really not get that many compliments?” Viktor mused aloud.

Yuuri blinked, as though snapping out of the slight trance Viktor’s compliment had put him in, “Well, um, I mean, I guess I get compliments. That's not exactly something people say to their leader who’s less than a tenth of their age, though.” Yuuri admitted before adding, “Minami compliments me sometimes, but I don’t take it very seriously.” He added, trying not to think too much on how he honestly didn’t believe that many compliments that had been sent his way. He had spent most of his life fighting tooth and nail, Yuuri failed to see how that allowed him to be anything but physically strong on occasion. 

Viktor sighed, “The connection is so open these days, though I will admit that does make me even more concerned about you.” The soulmate connection had been incredibly open compared to the past. Yuuri was opening up so much more and even when Viktor pointed this out, Yuuri didn’t shut off the connection or lessen it, just fill it with surprise from his end. 

Yuuri nodded and shrugged, “Relationships of any kind tend to run into problems when you keep things from each other. Besides, it’s easier this way, isn’t it?” Yuuri murmured, leaning closer to Viktor. Yuuri wanted to kiss him. He wanted to make sure Viktor knew that he was attracted to him as a person, and not just as someone close by when his hormones flared. Before he could stress over it too much, Yuuri stretched upward and kissed Viktor gently.

Viktor had figured Yuuri was about to do something like that when he moved closer, but it still startled him. It made his heart skip a beat in a way that sent happy flutters through his chest. The kiss felt soft and sweet, communicating emotions that were better acted upon then merely thought about. 

Yuuri pulled away, partially because he wasn’t entirely sure how to kiss sweetly for more than a few seconds and because it was uncomfortable to stretch to reach Viktor, even though they were both sitting down. Yuuri did his best to remember how dazed Viktor looked and smiled up at him. “Okay, I might just have to do that more often.” He admitted, trying to ignore the nervous, excited buzz he was feeling presently.

-

Viktor hummed as he watched Yuuri set up the laundry loads. It was oddly domestic, Yuuri setting up laundry while Viktor sat on the drier, swinging his legs slightly. “Last time I opened the door to down here, it smelled really good and you slammed the door before I could look, what was that?” Viktor asked, vaguely recalling when it happened what felt like months ago. 

Yuuri’s face lit up in a fierce blush, “I was hoping you wouldn’t remember…” He muttered before clearing his throat nervously while elaborating, “Um, me and Minami hadn’t gotten around to cleaning the floors and things down here after doing the laundry from my last, uh, heat.” Yuuri clarified, praying Viktor would understand the blanks he was leaving. Yuuri didn’t want to have to spell it out, but he knew he couldn’t assume Viktor would get it instantly. Viktor didn’t.

“What do you mean, cleaning the floors? Why would that have anything to do with it? I couldn’t have smelled something to the level that you guys can.” Viktor said, frowning and trying to figure out what Yuuri was getting at.

Yuuri bit his lip nervously, “Well, some of the, uh, fluids probably got on the floor. We moved everything down here pretty fast since we didn’t want the smell getting on anything else.” Yuuri mumbled as he tossed clothes into the washer, thoroughly embarrassed by the memory. Despite it being a natural part of being an omega, he still hadn’t gotten over the embarrassment of the fact that he had, and would continue to have, heats.

As realization dawned on Viktor his face turned pink, “That was residual…?” He nearly choked, that’s what it was going to smell like, except more? Yuuri was going to  _ smell _ like that entirely? A flash of Yuuri lying beneath him looking disheveled and flushed crossed Viktor’s mind. He immediately chucked the thought into the furthest corner of his mind. He could barely imagine how Yuuri would look underneath him without his stomach stirring with arousal.

While Viktor got lost in the thoughts of how soft Yuuri’s skin might be and what expressions he’d make, Yuuri finished setting up the laundry and awkwardly cleared his throat, “Let’s um, change the subject? Or leave the room? I-I don’t want to get too wrapped up in hormones.” He paused when he got to the stairs and looked back at Viktor, “Or at least, I don’t want to get too caught up in them down here.”  He admitted.

Viktor shook himself out of it, not wanting to make Yuuri uncomfortable, or any more so than he might already be. “Good plan.”

-

Yuri had spent the afternoon reading in his room while Minami buzzed around the house cleaning. Minami would stop by occasionally and Yuri would pretend he wasn’t reading the book on wolf biology. He had a lot to talk about with Viktor to help keep his oblivious teacher in the loop. 

Yuri had just set the book aside when Minami walked in, looking exhausted, “Yura~ I’ve missed you.” He pouted as he walked over and plopped down on Yuri’s bed, looking up, or rather down since Minami was on his back, at Yuri with big pleading eyes. Yuri rolled his eyes, Minami did act his age in every sense of the word sometimes.

He was emotional, impulsive, passionate, and, amusingly enough, buzzing with barely contained hormones. He  _ was _ a teenager after all. It only made sense that he would get more worked up than someone older. According to the book Yuri had been reading though, it was probably going to last a while, this young adult, hormone-ridden phase lasted around a decade for some wolves. Yuri was going to be in for a long ride, “Well who’s fault is that? I haven’t moved most of the day.” He deadpanned with a small fond smile. Minami was stretching his neck to look at Yuri upside down which resulted in his neck being on complete display.

Yuri had realized by now that Minami, while frequently oblivious, had been attempting to spur Yuri into making a move. Be it displaying his neck or just having his clothes ride up way too much to be accidental. Minami would make a move himself, but he wasn’t entirely sure how physical things were going to work between them. Yuri had two centuries on him and Yuri had said when they were still first meeting that he looked twelve. While at the time it was only mildly irritating, now it meant something else. If he looked twelve, Yuri wouldn’t want much to do with him physically. Hence the teasing, if Yuri made the first move than he was undeniably attracted to him. But if Minami made the first move and Yuri wasn’t interested, it would make things immensely awkward. Naturally, Minami forgot to keep the link closed to any degree while he debated this, so Yuri could only watch in quiet alarm at Minami’s obvious self-doubt. Carefully Yuri grabbed Minami’s hand, “I’m not entirely certain what you’re thinking about, but I know you shouldn’t feel so nervous about it. It’s going to be fine.”

Minami blinked, stunned and slowly realizing he had let Yuri feel all his emotions during the previous few moments. Minami debated lying and trying to hide his fears but the look Yuri was giving him just made him unable to lie, “I’m worried you’re not attracted to me because I look young to you, you did say I looked twelve.” Minami said, breaking eye contact and looking at the ceiling.

Yuri frowned, not entirely sure he followed. If anything, he should be worried about Minami not seeing his body as attractive. The longer Yuri had spent with Minami though, the more he noticed how he was obviously not twelve. He was insanely short for his age, sure, but that’s where it stopped. The more time Yuri had looked at Minami’s face, the more he realized that the height and playfulness were the only things that made him seem young. His face did look like a nineteen-year-old. “Minami, I was definitely wrong, I just don’t want to rush into this if it doesn’t feel natural.” Yuri admitted, thinking about how guilty he would feel if he felt like he rushed Minami. Minami was so new and fragile compared to every person Yuri had been close to in the past, all of whom were vampires.

Sure, everyone had their weaknesses, but they were very obviously superficial or just allowed out of self-indulgence. They all had decades of time coming to terms with and accepting every detail about themselves. Vampires frequently developed nerves of steel after centuries of not changing. Vampires didn’t change easily admittedly. This, by comparison, made Minami seem delicate.

-

When Minami and Yuri wandered downstairs, they saw Yuuri and Viktor cooking in the kitchen. Viktor watching Yuuri’s careful movements as Yuuri mumbled gently under his breath to him. Occasionally Viktor would respond in just as quiet of a voice. Despite their lowered voices, the heightened hearing of everyone made it hardly relevant. 

Minami immediately started beaming, “I think Yuuri’s trying to teach him Japanese.” Minami said with a small giggle. 

Yuuri was speaking in Japanese and only stopped when Viktor asked something to clarify. Yuuri seemed to be teaching Viktor various words in the kitchen. It ranged from the names of different foods to actions that Yuuri was doing. Yuuri stopped though when Minami spoke. He threw a quick glance at them, “I am, it’s better if he understands some Japanese in case we’re ever not with him. You should make sure Yuri knows some too.”

Yuri was nearly offended at how rude Yuuri was being to Minami, while Viktor was just mildly stunned. Minami giggled though, clearly barely even taking the slightest bit of Yuuri’s words seriously, “Yes because when Viktor gets lost in Tokyo, knowing how to identify various foods will definitely help him.” 

Yuuri pouted, “I was hoping it would be less obvious than that.” Yuuri admitted as he went back to slicing vegetables. 

Viktor chuckled at Yuuri’s embarrassment for having been caught doing something so simple. Though, Viktor did understand it was difficult for Yuuri to admit. Yuuri never seemed to want to give any impression other than firm and dignified. With Viktor around, though it had been becoming increasingly difficult to stay that way, to the point that Yuuri was starting to debate why he even bothered. Showing emotions and fondness for things didn’t make Yuuri weak, hell, it might even make him stronger in the end. At least that’s what Yuuri was starting to consider. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My wonderful-amazing-fantastic friend Gabby at thelastchappie on tumblr beta'd for me and I am forever grateful.


	16. Preparations

As Minami and Yuuri started washing up the dishes after dinner, Yuri grabbed Viktor and pulled him aside. And of course, considering Minami’s and Yuuri’s hearing, aside meant half way across the house to a closet. As the door slid shut, Yuri spoke, “Viktor, Yuuri’s idea to fight that J-whatever guy is absolutely insane. You can’t let him do it.” Yuri said flatly, not leaving any room in his voice to invite argument.

In typical Viktor style, though, that meant Viktor was going to argue, “You do care about Yuuri, how sweet.” Viktor sang, pleased that Yuri was being uncharacteristically thoughtful about people he wasn’t personally close to. “What makes you say that though? We’ve seen him fight. You know as well as I do that Yuuri can handle himself.”

Yuri rolled his eyes, “I know that, but I spent most of today reading that book Mina got. There was a lot about omegas so I read it, since I doubted you would. Apparently after heats omegas are significantly physically weaker. It’s a major strain on their bodies. Hell, some people believe that’s part of what caused omegas to be seen as weak. Moral of the story, Yuuri won’t be at full strength if he goes up against anyone. I don’t think you should let him fight.” Yuri explained in a rush, desperate to get Viktor to understand. Yuri had already figured Minami would do no good in stopping Yuuri, which left him and Viktor. Yuri wished Minami would be more help, but Mina probably already knew about the heat thing. Not to mention Yuuri didn’t seem to be the type to be persuaded easily.

Viktor frowned as he took in Yuri’s words. It would make sense, any physical state that lasted a week could make someone weaker than normal. Even if that someone was Yuuri. Plus, Minami was the one to buy the book so it was most likely accurate. Viktor sighed, raising a finger to his lips as he thought the issue over. He highly doubted Yuuri could be talked out of fighting anyone, even if everyone said it was a bad idea. Viktor had only known Yuuri to take whatever he personally had decided was the best course of action. Not to mention Viktor had no intention of attempting to control Yuuri. He wanted to help Yuuri feel free, not hold him back from doing what he thought was best, “I’m don't know what good I can do, but I’ll see if talking to him about it can change his mind. Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Viktor said, trying to figure out if Yuri’s frustrated glare was only from his concern or if there was more.

“No, you also need to be careful, the book says you might be able to get Yuuri pregnant, so use protection.” Yuri said, face slightly pink. Telling the man, he had literally _walked in on_ having sex to use protection was weird as hell. The recollection made Yuri cringe visibly and make a face of disgust. Yuri was instantly immensely grateful he had waited for his soulmate. He couldn’t imagine having to tell Minami that he had had sex with someone before him because he hadn’t waited.

Most waited until their soulmate to have sex, treasuring it immensely, but the category Viktor had been in wasn’t too uncommon either. If someone’s soulmate was dead or they simply didn’t have one, it wasn’t uncommon for them to have sex with other random people. Some species just frowned on it more than others, such as wolves heavily frowned upon it while vampires were more relaxed about and elves were the most loose with it. Apparently, they thought getting past the awkward first few times with someone that didn’t matter was a good thing.

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up at Yuri’s words though, “Really? But everyone knows…” He trailed off. He didn’t have to re-iterate to Yuri vampire biology. Vampires were considered one of the most infertile species alive on the face of the Earth. Vampires were so uncommon to be born that it hadn’t even crossed his mind that he could get Yuuri pregnant. Yes, he had an understanding that wolf omega biology made it possible for omegas to get pregnant but vampires and babies rarely mixed. It made sense though, vampires were one of the few species that were truly immortal, if they lived forever, what need was there to make more of them? If vampires reproduced much, they would have taken over by now. “Why is that?” Viktor asked, at a loss for what else he could say.

Yuri sighed heavily, “Omegas are supposed to be crazy fertile. Like, even by normal species standards. Especially young omegas apparently. Look, I only said something because I can’t imagine you two have talked about it yet. I skipped the rest of it since it felt creepy as hell. Just, be careful, okay?”

-

Minami was humming to himself as he plopped down on the blankets in Yuri’s room. He was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to sleep. Yuuri had politely asked once Viktor and Yuri snuck away if Minami could stay in Yuri’s room from now on. Yuuri was worried that any residual evidence of Minami’s scent would be upsetting during his heat, especially since he had already cleaned. Minami understood completely, so he had happily snuck into Yuri’s room. He sat up as he felt Yuri’s cringe through the connection. Just what had-?! Minami knew it wasn’t intentional, but the connection had been open enough that he had seen a flash of the mental image Yuri had. Viktor in bed with some elf.

It made Minami’s stomach twist, he did _not_ want to ever see his best friend’s soulmate in such a position. _Especially_ with someone other than his best friend. Of course, part of his mind immediately imagined the scene continuing. Minami shoved that thought forcefully away though. That was gross, so horribly gross. Minami shoved his face into one of Yuri’s pillows, trying to block out the mental image.

Thankfully, Yuri’s scent on the pillow immediately distracted Minami. Nothing could ever ruin thinking Yuri, that much Minami knew for certain. He sighed as he curled up around a pillow, pulling it close to his chest. Minami wondered if he should be upset or glad that Yuri and him met like this. On one hand, Minami wished that he could have met Yuri in a more normal, natural way. Maybe bumping into each other in a foreign city and knowing that their souls were connected. Of course, that would lead into a wonderful adventure around the city and loads of cute selfies and pictures. Then getting absolutely lost and having to find a random hotel. Unfortunately, they separately wouldn’t have enough money on hand to get a room so they’d pool the money and get one together. But their luck would falter and there would only be rooms with one bed available.

Yuri would be a complete gentleman and let Minami have the bed, accepting his fate to sleep on the floor. Naturally, Minami would get flustered and not argue, but after a few minutes he would insist Yuri join him in sleeping on the bed. Yuri would blush and climb in next to him. Somehow one thing would lead to another and they would barely get any sleep and spend the entire night making sweet passionate love.

Minami was sighing wistfully at his daydream when the door slammed open. Minami sat up, still holding the pillow and smiled brightly at Yuri who was in the doorway. As the door shut Yuri’s face darkened with deep blush. “I don’t know what’s more embarrassing, the fact that you think how _that’s_ how it would go, or how much you imagined what would happen if we slept together.” Yuri sighed and walked over, trying to look angry, but instead only looking utterly humiliated that he had heard what Minami was thinking.

Minami didn’t even look ashamed, instead he winked, “Would you like to do something like that? I wasn’t entirely sure what position we’d choose in that scenario.” He admitted. He had imagined him being the one topping in either a missionary or with Yuri riding him. It was a brief flash of thought since Yuri walked in.

Yuri looked flabbergasted, “I don’t think we’d have sex the literal night we met, also, please spare me what you’d think would happen if we slept together, or at least don’t do it when I’m talking to someone.” Yuri said as he cringed, remembering how he booked it upstairs knowing Minami was perfectly content to image just about everything under the sun in an alternate universe for them. Minami looked hurt and had a pang of guilt, ashamed that he had made Yuri so uncomfortable and mad. Yuri sighed and bit his lip, looking away from Minami, “That scene was way too rushed, if I realized you were my soulmate I would definitely make sure it wasn’t a flash of hormones, that’s too cliché and not romantic in the slightest. Besides I…” He lowered his voice and pulled his shoulders to his ears, horrible humiliated with his next words, “I’d want to slowly take you apart.”

Minami’s face turned beat red and he squeaked slightly, having completely forgotten how he didn’t have much idea on how that scenario would go in the sense of who initiating what. His mind slowly imagined how it would feel to have Yuri’s lips gently kissing his neck and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. It sent a shiver down his spine and his brain stopped thinking about anything else, just how it would feel to have Yuri touching him so gently.

While Minami was lost in his own train of thought, Yuri walked over and leaned closer, carefully placing a delicate kiss on Minami’s neck. Yuri had been worried about Minami wanting to go straight to something more intimate. It was endearing to realize that despite Minami’s teenage hormones, he was still so new to the idea of being touched that the _thought_ of getting kissed just on his neck could get him incredibly flustered.

Minami squeaked and moved his neck backwards, giving Yuri more access. It sent a pleasing tingle through his shoulders and neck to feel Yuri’s breath there. “P-please, Yura, just kiss me more.” He whispered, brain completely zoned in on just feeling Yuri, touching him.

The thoughts were so focused that Yuri didn’t even hesitate. Gently, he got closer and kissed Minami more soundly on his neck, humming as he did so. Embarrassingly, he was more excited than Minami. After all, it would only take a slight turn of his head to pierce Minami’s delightfully smooth neck. Yuri hadn’t fed from a breathing person since he was still aging at a normal speed, and even then, that was an accident. It was so incredibly tempting though. Yuri was sure he could make Minami feel good, but he refrained, instead focusing on the delightful tingle of excitement that Minami was feeling.

Minami barely even registered when Yuri started sucking lightly at his neck, too caught up in the feelings. Yuri’s and his own emotions swirled together in his mind and it was a bit overwhelming. Yuri’s buzzing with excitement and the faint feeling of pure affection in the corners of his mind. Minami’s thoughts were zoned in at how amazing it felt with Yuri kissing him.

The moment slowly ended as Yuri moved back, taking in the sight of Minami breathing heavily and looking mildly disheveled. Yuri was certainly pleased with his work, but he frowned after a few moments though, “I think I might have left a mark.” Yuri said, frowning unsure of how Minami would react to the information.

Minami snapped out of it slightly and lifted a hand to his neck, smiling softly as he felt the saliva left from Yuri’s kiss and flat out beaming at the slight pain from the red mark that would certainly darken into a bruise. “I love it.” Minami said, meeting Yuri’s eyes with a quietly pleased smile.

-

After his conversation with Yuri, Viktor headed into the kitchen to see how his own worrisome, werewolf soulmate was doing. Yuuri was just finishing cleaning up the kitchen and seemed to be making a list of something or other at the kitchen table. Yuuri didn’t seem like he was going to be staring down possible death in less than a month’s time. Rather, he seemed so relaxed that he might as well have been planning a trip to the grocery store.

Viktor walked over and glanced at what Yuuri was writing, gently touching Yuuri’s shoulder when he got closer. Yuuri didn’t even glance up at Viktor simply relaxed at the touch, “Hi Viktor, what’s up?” Yuuri asked as he continued to write. Viktor pouted when he looked at the paper as it was entirely in Japanese, though that shouldn’t have surprised him.

“I just wanted to see what you were up to and talk to you about something.” Viktor said, sitting down near Yuuri and watching him with a curious expression, wondering what exactly was going through Yuuri’s mind.

After a few moments Yuuri set his pencil down and looked at Viktor, “What did you want to talk about?” He asked, trying to ignore the slight build-up of nerves he had. Viktor had the connection a much more closed than it had been since he left to talk with Yuri. Yuuri had told himself it was nothing; but his nerves, once again, suggested otherwise. Yuuri was just having a hard time imagining what Viktor would need to keep from him.

Viktor looked around the room and debated how he should phrase it. It would be difficult to come off as anything other than belittling, that was certain, but he couldn’t just avoid it. Especially if Viktor didn’t want Yuuri to get hurt. Viktor refused to let Yuuri get hurt when he could avoid it. The internal struggle resulted with Viktor just blurting, “I’m worried you’re going to be too weak physically after your heat to fight this alpha guy.”

Yuuri blinked and stared for a moment, his mind going through a million different things. He knew Viktor wasn’t _trying_ to upset him. He was just concerned, but that didn’t make things any easier. Yuuri toyed with the idea to lie to reassure Viktor. Yuuri wasn’t confident he could beat JJ, but if he told Viktor that, how would Viktor react? If Yuuri lied, he could reassure Viktor, but did Yuuri want to continue lying? “I’m worried too. I’d be able to handle him on a normal day, but I’m not sure how my body is going to react to my heat. I can only do my best.” Yuuri said quietly, fiddling with his pencil nervously.

Viktor frowned, torn at how to respond, in the face of having to say it, Viktor knew he couldn’t just ask Yuuri to sit out the fight. Yuuri would never, that was obvious now in how Yuuri’s eyes nervously met Viktor’s with quiet hope and desperation.

-

Yuuri had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Viktor had only left when Yuuri insisted that he would go to bed soon and that he only had to do one more thing. That _was_ the plan. Unfortunately, Yuuri didn’t make it out of the chair before passing out from exhaustion.

Minami giggled when he came into the kitchen the next morning and saw Yuuri out cold at the table. Minami had slept in Yuri’s room and snuck out without waking Yuri, surprisingly. Minami found it adorable because Yuri was softly snoring and looked so peaceful. When Minami made it downstairs, he couldn’t help but walk closer and stare at Yuuri’s sleeping face. Maybe Minami was just getting overly sentimental, but he enjoyed seeing people he cared about asleep. Looking at a sleeping face could almost convince you that everything was fine. That nothing in the world was wrong with how relaxed their expressions were.

Gently, Minami reached out to brush the hair out of Yuuri’s face. His hand froze when he felt Yuuri’s skin. He was sweating slightly, which was not a good sign. Without a moment’s hesitation, Minami quickly retrieved the thermometer from the medical kit in the closet. After some coaxing half-conscious Yuuri complied and let Minami check his temperature. Yuuri was running a temperature, that was for sure. Minami sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he googled symptoms for pre-heats and what the beginning of a heat could seem like.

The most likely explanation seemed to be that it was just a symptom of Yuuri’s heat approaching. Minami ran his fingers through Yuuri’s hair debating what to do for a moment before deciding that at least a bed is better than a wooden chair. Soon enough Yuuri was tucked into one of the guest beds and Minami was starting work on some food in the kitchen. There was some cleaning to be done before Yuuri’s heat still, some easily made food to get, and a place to find for him and Yura to stay in the meantime.

According to the internet, Yuuri’s fever could get worse if he’s allowed to push himself too much. Meaning, until Yuuri was one-hundred percent again, Minami was in charge. The food was going well and Minami couldn’t help but smile with pride. Being able to help and provide for Yuuri was one of Minami’s favorite things to do. Yuuri so rarely let him, that Minami savored every opportunity he had.

-

When Yuuri managed to drag himself downstairs hours later, he was floored with the sight he saw. Viktor clearly attempting to cook something on the stove, Minami next to him, giggling away at how it was going, and Yuri sitting on the counter watching both, visibly trying to contain his laughter at how ridiculous the two were. It felt domestic. Wonderful. Peaceful. Quiet. Tame. _Perfect._

Viktor noticed Yuuri first, having sensed a change in the soul connection that was only barely getting through. He turned and looked towards the doorway, thinking that something less anxiety inducing would help him figure out what was going on with Yuuri. Seeing Yuuri was quite the surprise, but the surprise turned immediately to alarm when he saw the tears in Yuuri’s eyes. Food immediately forgotten, Viktor rushed over to Yuuri, gently placing his hands on his beloved’s shoulder’s, “Are you alright? Did something happen?” Viktor whispered. Minami had said that Yuuri had a fever, but Minami hadn’t seemed concerned. Had Minami been wrong?

Yuuri shook his head and wiped away his tears, smiling up at Viktor, “I’m happy.” He said simply, sliding his arms around Viktor’s waist and hugging him tightly, “It’s nice to come down to my fam- to people I care about in the kitchen in the morning.” Yuuri said, burying his face in Viktor’s shoulder.

Viktor was stunned at Yuuri’s near slip at calling them all his ‘family’. Calling the four of them a family would hardly fit with wolf traditions or definitions, but it felt right. Viktor held Yuuri close, rubbing his back gently.

Minami, never missing a beat, scoffed, "It’s only morning in the sense that it’s not noon yet, you slept all morning.” Minami chastised lightly, earning a chuckle from Yuuri.

-

As lunch’s, or breakfast’s in Yuuri’s opinion, dishes were cleared, Yuuri spoke to Minami, “I need you to get me anything you can find to dull senses or to help lessen or erase symptoms of a heat.” Yuuri said with no prelude, not wanting to beat around the bush.

“Using strictly legal methods?” Minami asked, as though asking about the weather. They had plenty of connections and getting things of that nature would prove much easier if he didn’t have to follow the ‘rules’. Mentally, Minami started debating who would be the best to go to for such things. Sure, numerous would be eager to provide him with such things, but that hardly meant that all of them were reliable.

“Whichever you think will provide the best, I don’t care.” Yuuri said bluntly, “If anyone asks say it’s for a very close friend, they’ll assume you met someone, or I did if nothing else.” Yuuri said, frowning as he wrapped up some of the food, “After the summit I doubt anyone won’t know about me, but in the meantime, let’s take advantage of it.”

Viktor frowned, interjecting, “I thought you were supposed to be careful with your body? And using random drugs from the black market? Really?” He said, flabbergasted. He had heard that the younger generations favored drugs more than his, but it seemed alarming how easily Yuuri suggested drugs of questionable origins.

Yuuri hesitated, having only partially accounted for Viktor’s argument, and hadn't prepared himself for how he would feel when Viktor used such a tone with him, “The doctor left a message on my phone, she said that there’s nothing unusual about my test results, if I can’t be on birth control, this is the next best thing.” Yuuri said, standing his ground, too stubborn to let being surprised ruin his stance.

Viktor sighed and looked at Yuri and Minami for help, of course neither was any help. Yuri was too busy looking stunned while Minami seemed to debate mentally what to do. “How about you come with me to get the stuff Viktor? You can verify yourself if the drugs are ‘random’. Yura can stay with Yuuri and everything will be fine.”

Viktor glanced at Yuri who only shrugged, “I doubt Yuuri or Minami can be reasoned out of their decision. Might as well go, just don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

-

Viktor frowned as he followed Minami through the city, knowing that they were headed somewhere shady made the city have a different vibe than before. A more sinister one if nothing else. Soon enough they were in a less crowded area, and Viktor decided he’d try to get the answers to some questions that had been bugging him, “Where do you guys get the money for all of this? It’s not like you have jobs, or time for jobs during the war.” Viktor asked bluntly. He had been debating it, since there had to be an answer that was eludingp him. Money didn’t just appear out of nowhere after all.

Minami turned and looked at Viktor as they walked, clearly amused, “Well, my parents give me my spending money, since I’ve been too busy with the war, and Yuuri has his inheritance. There are a lot of different ways to earn money unconventionally as a wolf though, so we’d both be fine without either.” Minami said, having forgotten that vampires didn’t know about a basic thing like finances for wolves.

“Unconventional ways like what?” Viktor questioned. A phrase like that was normally used for less savory tasks such as selling oneself for the night or being a hitman, neither of which Viktor could imagine either Yuuri or Minami doing.

“Well, with the boom of science lately, many scientists pay handsomely for blood from the pack leader’s family, or even better, the pack leader himself. The pack leader is supposedly the strongest wolf with the strongest genes, so they say, so it makes it quite useful. Though honestly plenty would gladly just give Yuuri money just to get to say they personally know him, since he’s not much for the social scene. If I had to make money, I’d probably do something more exciting though. Sometimes the police or various companies or organizations will ask if I could help them with training. As Yuuri’s right hand I have a bit of a reputation as a good fighter. Experience on the battlefield somehow translates to job experience.” Minami said, looking pleased with himself.

Viktor frowned, debating if he should try changing the topic, he decided he might as well since Minami clearly wasn’t going to add anything, “Why didn’t Yuuri comment on your hickey? I thought wolves took neck markings incredibly seriously.” Viktor had never known any wolf to not care about markings _especially_ on their necks.

Minami’s face flushed pink and he looked away, looking flustered, “Well, most wolf’s do something to signify being bonded with their soulmate. Nowadays most opt for necklaces or tattoos but some go the old-fashioned way and leave a bite mark or bruise on their mate. Preferably their neck, since it’s the most common location of a mark like that. He probably just assumed it was a test of something along those lines. Though it isn’t, since me and Yura didn’t discuss it, but it looks like one.” Minami said, voice becoming tender at the end, his hand gently reaching up and ghosting over the mark.

Viktor nodded, feeling a twist in his stomach that Yuuri hadn’t even told him that bonding marks were a thing, “Should I read into it that Yuuri hasn’t brought that kind of thing up to me yet?” Viktor said gently, unable to refrain from bluntly asking Minami.

Minami chuckled and shook his head, “No, Yuuri tends to play things safe until he’s certain of things. He probably hasn’t said anything because he’s unsure of how to bring it up to you or isn’t sure how he feels about it. Bonding marks are taken pretty seriously when done in earnest. The older generations still see them as more significant than marriage. Though, that’s mostly with marks, jewelry is usually used to ease into it.”

-

Yuri frowned as he watched Yuuri buzz around the kitchen, cooking up a storm. Yuuri had determined that making and freezing homemade meals would be the best for his heat. Yuri thought it was overkill, but he decided against trying to argue with Yuuri. Yuri was in the kitchen watching since the look Viktor had given him clearly translated to not letting Yuuri out of his sight for any extended period. Only Viktor would be so overprotective, in Yuri’s opinion, but it wasn’t worth debating. Yuri looked down and continued flipping through the book on the table before him. It was the one on wolf biology, since he had made some notes to ask Yuuri about and figured with only the two of them would be the best time for it. “Hey, can I ask you some things? This book isn’t the best at explaining some things.”

Yuuri nodded, “Ask away, I can’t guarantee I’ll know all the answers, but I can give you my best bet.” Yuuri said, cutting away at some vegetables on the large cutting board he had out next to the stove. He knew cooking right now wasn’t exactly the most productive thing, but he had nervous energy and this was the only thing he felt motivated enough to do that would help in some form during his heat.

“Can wolf-vampire hybrids exist? This book covers a lot of hybrids like elf, nature spirit, and human, but not vampires. Is it just obviously impossible or…?” Yuri questioned, trying to ignore his obvious reason of interest. He knew omegas could have children regardless of primary gender, but vampires were known for being borderline completely infertile.

Yuuri’s shoulders visibly tensed and he paused his cutting for a moment before resuming and responding, “Well, like I said, no vampire werewolf pair has been formally recognized by the pack, meaning a hybrid child has never been officially acknowledged, if there’s ever even been one. Some genes are too incompatible to produce children after all, like nature spirits and humans.” Yuuri said calmly, trying not to sound concerned.

Yuri frowned, “What do you think is going to happen at the summit? Truly.” Yuri asked quietly, knowing this would be his best bet at getting Yuuri’s current opinion honestly. Yuri tried to ignore the fear that was creeping into his bones at what could happen, wolves could be fiercely territorial and traditional in some aspects and Yuri prayed it wouldn’t end up harming Minami, and Yuuri.

“I have no idea, if I’m being honest.” Yuuri admitted, looking over his shoulder at Yuri, letting the obvious pain at the statement show on his face, “I hope that everyone is open to change, but I do intend to set up safety nets in the event things go downhill. I’m not worried about anyone’s physical safety, just about whether we’ll be able to stay in the pack afterwards.”

-

Viktor was trying to ignore his borderline rage at the various places Minami had gotten things from. Sure, Viktor talked Minami out of a few places and a few things, but that didn’t stop Minami from anything. Viktor knew, objectively, that part of his own reactions was simply because he never understood chemicals and medicines for most things other than disinfectants and antibiotics, but still. Vampire’s bodies barely reacted to the strongest medicines so it was hard to have a grasp of the use of things that temporarily would lessen a sense.

Despite Viktor’s obvious irritation with him, Minami led Viktor to their last destination. As a way of apologizing, Minami had decided that they would go to a department store that specializes in items to symbolize a bonded pair. He had gone window shopping occasionally there himself, imagining what it would be like to have his unknown soulmate take him there and pick something out together. Viktor clearly hadn’t figured out that they were going there since he was still deathly silent.

Thankfully they finally reached their destination. Buried in a crowded mall, there it was. Minami stopped and grinned up at Viktor, “Would you like to get Yuuri something? It’s not too formal, but it’s something, right?” Minami said with a small smile, waiting for Viktor to properly react.

Viktor slowly came out of his thoughts, looking up at the sign and glancing at what he could see in the display windows from where they stood. “Is this a store for couples?” Viktor said, frowning in confusion. Sure, he’d love to get something for Yuuri, but Minami looked far too pleased for just going to a store to get things for one’s soulmate.

Minami shook his head quickly, grinning up at Viktor, “Sort of, but it’s specialty is items to show you’re bonded. Their products are of the highest quality and made to last years of constant wear. They’re the most reliable store in the area for this kind of thing.” Minami said, beaming.

Viktor’s eyes widened and he walked inside, deciding that he’d forgive Minami for now.

 -

By the time Viktor and Minami had made it home, Yuuri was asleep in the guest room from earlier. Yuri had waited up for them though and was sitting in the kitchen. “Yuuri’s out cold, he cooked for at least five hours.” Yuri said as he walked over to Minami and moved to peck his cheek when he stopped and made a face, “You smell like you just finished smoking weed. What did you two do?” He said, narrowing his eyes at Viktor, completely content with blaming Viktor solely if they did something he wouldn’t approve of.

Minami shook his head, “I’d probably cough up a lung if I tried that, we just had to go to some unusual places to get some of the things that we need.” Minami said, gesturing to the bags in his arms. Carefully he set the bags on the table and stretched slightly, “I’ll go take a shower.” He said pouting and yawning, “But you have to cuddle me as thanks later.” Minami said with a pleased smirk before leaving the room.

Yuri rolled his eyes when he heard his soulmate shut the bathroom door upstairs, “He acts like I don’t realize he just wants an excuse to sleep in my room again.” Yuri said, before looking over at Viktor, “Did you guys get anything useful?”

Viktor shrugged, “Basically just things to either diminish senses or nearly entirely cover up heat symptoms. Apparently, Minami knows Yuuri won’t use all of them, since most, if not all, of these can’t be combined, but to give some variety for Yuuri to decide.” Viktor made a face and gestured to one of the bags, “We also got a few things that might help get rid of my sense of smell temporarily.” Viktor admitted, pretending he didn’t see the surprise on Yuri’s face.

-

Time slipped by and tonight Minami and Yuri would leave for, surprisingly, Russia. They were cutting it close staying so long, but so far it hadn’t backfired. Viktor was helping Yuuri set up the final touches to his bedroom. Yuuri had gotten fussy with how things were organized in the room and was admittedly irritable. Minami alone had gotten into three arguments with Yuuri just in the past day.

Viktor was mostly watching Yuuri rearrange things. Yuuri kept changing things sporadically so Viktor’s help would do no good. That, and Yuuri had only asked Viktor to ‘help’ because he had gotten a tad clingy lately. Viktor didn’t mind though, it was cute. But with the two of them alone, this was the perfect opportunity Viktor had been waiting for, “Um Yuuri?” Viktor began, hoping he wouldn’t chicken out again.

Yuuri turned and looked over, slightly surprised, “Yes Viktor?” He said, gently setting down the pillow in his hands. Viktor looked and felt nervous through the connection, so Yuuri wasn’t about to brush aside whatever was bothering Viktor.

Viktor fidgeted for a moment before pulling out a small box, a few inches long and held it out to Yuuri, “I got this for you the other day, but I wasn’t sure if- or rather- er, tell me what you think.” Viktor managed to say, nerves getting the best of him. When he had been out with Minami he had gotten something from the store to show his bond between Yuuri and him. Viktor had just been debating whether it was appropriate to give it to him.

Yuuri carefully took the box and opened it, revealing two leather chokers with a single pendant on each. One was made of black leather with a ring for its pendant. The other was made of white leather with a filled in circle for its pendent. A matching pair. Yuuri blushed and looked up at Viktor, slightly unsure of what he meant by them. Sure, Yuuri immediately thought of matching bonding necklaces, but assuming things was never a good idea.

Viktor blinked, forgetting his nerves as soon as he saw Yuuri’s gentle blush and felt the slight nervous tremble across the bond. “Minami told me about bonding, so I figured starting with something simple like a necklace would be good. I think either would look great on you, and I can wear the other so we’ll be a pair.” Viktor said, giving Yuuri his signature heart-shaped smile.

Yuuri clutched the box tightly before leaning up and giving Vikor a quick kiss, “I love it, it’s perfect.” Yuuri said smiling up at Viktor, feeling a surprising sense of calm settle over him.

-

Minami fidgeted as tried to settle in the window seat next to Yuri on the plane, “Do you think they’ll be alright? What if something happens? Should we cancel and stay in Japan? Do you think your grandfather would mind? No, no of course he’d mind. But it’s Yuuri though. So maybe Yuuri will be alright? Do you think your grandfather will like me? I don’t want to upset him, what should I say? How should I act? He’s your family I have to make a good first impression.”

Yuri would have humored Minami’s anxiety more if they hadn’t spent the past four hour packing and going through customs. Which had been a pain since they were taking Duchess with them. “Minami, they’ll be fine, and don’t worry, my grandfather will love you regardless of how you act. You can relax.” Yuri reassured in his best calming voice, which wasn’t that much of a reassurance, but it didn’t hurt. Minami’s look of distress remained though, so Yuri continued, “Everything is going to be fine, we’ll get to spend a week relaxing in Russia and then come back and everything will be fine. You’ll get to meet my friends and we can go ice skating or something.”

Minami sniffled and looked up at Yuri with large, pleading eyes, “Promise?” He said in the meekest voice possible.

Yuri rolled his eyes so forcefully at Minami’s dramatics that it almost hurt, “Promise.” He said, giving Minami’s hand a squeeze of reassurance. “Everything is going to be completely fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this almost wasn't a thing anymore? But then I saw someone leave this nice amazing comment and the passion to continue was there again and I wrote most of this in one afternoon so tell me what you think. I know it's not the most exciting thing but some set-up was unavoidable. Thanks again to my amazing beta/friend Gabby at thelastchappie on tumblr since without her help I might have given up when it came to editing the chapter.Please tell me what you thought of this or anything about the story at all in a comment, they mean the world to me. Until next time~


	17. That Did Not Go Well

Admittedly, Minami was a bit excited. He was in Russia with Yuri and was going to get to spend an entire week with him, with no major interruptions. It was a dream come true. The flight had been lengthy, but that hardly mattered at this point. He was in Saint Petersburg! Minami’s smile faltered slightly when he took in the fact that nearly every single sign was in Russian and he had no idea what any of it said. He turned slowly in a circle taking in the sights of everything. There were so many people bustling around, vampires, elves, humans, and even a few nature spirits. It was a mesmerizing atmosphere. Yuuri hated crowded areas out of paranoia so being in one like this was a treat.

Yuri had left a few minutes ago to get the rest of their luggage and instructed Minami to stay put and watch their carry-ons. Honestly, that was probably a great call. Minami easily and frequently got distracted and having him get lost in a place where he didn’t speak the language would cause some problems.

Naturally, having the area crowded with vampires, Minami didn’t realize one was approaching him directly until it was a bit too late. In a swift, fluid movement, Minami’s face was shoved into the ground. There was a knee harshly pressing against his back and the unmistakable feel of a blade on the side of his neck. Years of training kicked in and Minami relaxed, appearing to admit defeat.

“Move and you’re dead, Kenjirou. Just because the war's over doesn't mean that you fleabags can come and go as you please." The voice was laced with pure loathing. Minami instantly knew that it belonged to the red-headed vampire feared by most of the wolf army. She was a lethal killer and few were brave enough to even think about trying to fight her. Minami was one of the few, unfortunately, so they had battled many times. 

No one bothered to get close enough to figure out her name and instead just gave her various nicknames amongst the groups. Minami personally was fond of ‘Nose Bleed’, ‘Step-Child’, and ‘Chucky’. If she clearly didn’t take delight in killing his pack members he might have even found it endearing that she didn’t realize that Kenjirou was his first name. But then again, there was a blade at his throat at the moment and he really needed to figure out how to calm the situation down before Yuri got back. “I’m with Yura- I mean, Plisetsky. I swear I was just waiting for him to come back. He'll be back any minute. I’m not here to cause trouble." 

His shaky response was met with a low growl in the vampire’s throat and a sharper press from her knee. Mila didn’t trust him. How could she? He was a wolf who had been at the end of her blade countless times. Her grip loosened though when the faint smell of wolf blood reached her nose. Disgusting.

Minami was fighting down panic. He had completely shut down his soul connection so Yuri wouldn’t freak out and rush over but the blood from where his nose had hit the ground would give it away just as fast. Minami started to try and calm his breathing with all his focus. Freaking out would help no one. Admittedly, he was having little luck relaxing though as his phone was starting to ring loudly and the smell of his own blood was impossible to ignore. Just as Minami braced himself for having to fight back, the pressure and blade were gone.

While Minami was preoccupied with his near panic, Yuri had shown up. When he walked up and saw Minami pinned to the ground and bleeding, Yuri saw red. In one fluid moment, whoever was pinning Minami to the ground was nearly thrown backward and Yuri was kneeling by Minami’s side, immediately checking his soulmate for any injuries. Everything was background noise as their eyes connected and Minami let the soul connection reform. Yuri visibly relaxed, to Minami’s relief. Tentatively, Minami reached forward and grabbed Yuri’s hand a slight squeeze.  There was no need to panic over a bit of blood.  

With the confirmation of Minami's safety, Yuri's eyes slid to the person he had thrown off his beloved soulmate.  His eyes narrowed as he locked eyes with the individual but it quickly turned into a look of confusion. "Mila? The fuck?" Yuri found himself saying as he gently helped Minami to his feet without breaking eye contact with his red-haired friend. Yuri was so distracted he didn't even see Minami visibly tense, eyes widening at hearing the vampire's name. 

-

Yuuri groaned as he slowly started to wake-up. His body seemed to ache in an unfamiliar way and dread filled him. His heat was starting today, no doubt about that. He was half tempted to roll over and try to ignore it in favor of more sleep but Yuuri knew that wouldn’t end well. Gradually he forced his eyes to open and take in his surroundings.

Viktor was sleeping next to him, snuggled close to Yuuri, wrapped up in blankets. It was endearing, Viktor had offered to stay with him until he fell asleep last night but Yuuri declined, saying he didn’t want to monopolize Viktor’s time more than he already was going to. Apparently, Viktor decided that Yuuri needed company regardless and had come in while Yuuri was asleep. It could have been frustrating but Yuuri just felt his heart swell at his sweet soulmate.

Yuuri had never been in love before, but he was certain that this is what falling in love was like. Viktor seemed to be stunning and impressing him at every turn. Sure, some would consider Viktor’s actions common courtesy but to Yuuri, they were something else. So much of his childhood had been spent hiding his emotions and throwing himself constantly into the most dangerous and reckless situations he could manage. He hadn't cared about his own safety. Minami and  Guang Hong had done their best to reign him in over the years, but Yuuri had never been able to take most of it to heart. It just didn’t feel genuine to him somehow.

Viktor though, this felt real. Undoubtedly plenty of people upon finding out that their soulmate was someone they hated would have cut their losses and left. The number of times Viktor and Yuuri had tried to kill each other was embarrassingly high. Hell, if Yuuri was going into a fight against Viktor, he would imagine how satisfying it would be to detach Viktor’s head from his body. The thought now made Yuuri want to vomit.

Viktor could have left. Viktor maybe even _should_ have left. But he stayed. Even as things got bizarre for him. Yuuri knew many found wolf biology freakish, and he couldn’t blame them. Even he hated his body, how could he expect anyone else not to?

Everything considered Viktor had never given Yuuri any cause to do anything but trust him since they found out they were soulmates. Yuuri couldn’t help but start to love Viktor from that alone. Old habits die hard though, part of Yuuri still wondered if they were really going to make it through this heat. Hearing about and seeing something are two entirely different things. Not to mention with Yuuri’s hormones on high alert, his normal calm frame of mind would be gone. 

Before the fear could completely take him over though, Yuuri forced himself to just take a breath and reassess his situation. Viktor was here. Yuuri couldn’t control whether he would be here in the future, so the present was all that mattered. Yuuri slowly turned more to properly face Viktor without getting up before moving forward and gently kissing his soulmate.

Viktor’s lips were wonderfully soft. Being this close to his soulmate made Yuuri’s entire body nearly melt into a state of unshakable calm. It felt so right to be here like this. Close to the one he was starting to love and without a pressing issue in what seemed to be the world. In that small moment, there was nothing else in existence.

Yuuri pulled away and was about to scoot back but he froze as he felt Viktor’s arm wrap around his waist. Viktor hummed and his eyes fluttered open, a small smile crossing his face, “Good morning to you too,” Yuuri’s  ever you think I’m asleep.” Viktor teased, leaning his forehead forward and pressing it against Yuuri’s. “I didn’t want you to wake up alone so I slept in here, I hope you’re not mad.”  

Yuuri relaxed at Viktor’s tender words, “`m not mad, just surprised.” He said as he pulled away and sat up to stretch, “I need to take some of the medicine I got before my body starts really getting my pheromones and hormones going.” Yuuri said reluctantly. Of course, he would rather stay curled up in bed with Viktor, but knowing how much time he was going to spend in bed this upcoming week made Yuuri restless.

-

Mila stared speechlessly, she couldn't believe her eyes. Sure,  Kenjirou had said that he was with Yuri, but being with someone and whatever _this_ was isn’t the same. If she didn’t know better she might even think that Yuri was protecting him. She fought the revulsion in her stomach down and instead refocused on what her soulmate was saying, since after Mila had seen Kenjirou she had been tuning them out. _"… and imagine how horrible that would be. Artificial blood for months if not years in prison would be disgusting. It's flat-out inhumane, so would that really be worth it just for killing_   _Kenjirou? I mean, seriously, you shouldn’t waste your time on him…. You’re still not listening, are you?”_

   

   

Mila rolled her eyes and snorted, “You’re right, he’s worse than a murder. At least murders admit to being twisted. Wolves keep pretending they're innocent." Mila said with a smirk. She was hoping to get a reaction out of   Kenjirou. If he so much as lunged she could say anything else she did was in self-defense. Unfortunately, he wasn’t reacting much. 

Yuri glared, “Do me a favor and shut the fuck up.” He said before turning back to Minami, snapping his soulmate out of whatever trance he seemed to be in, “Come on, let’s go. You don’t have to listen to this.” He said before quickly grabbing Minami’s hand and leading him away quickly. A few near collisions later and the pair found themselves outside by the line of taxis. Yuri let go of the bags he had been pulling and turned on his heel, placing his hands firmly on Minami’s shoulders. “Are you really okay?” Yuri said, concern evident in his voice.

Minami blinked a few times, surprised at Yuri's serious expression and quickly nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a little blood." Minami said, frowning slightly, still a little unfocused and clearly not realizing the near-panicked state Yuri was in. 

Yuri squeezed Minami’s shoulder’s tightly before yanking him into a tight hug, “She really wanted to kill you. If I hadn’t shown up when I did, she might have tried to. She hates wolves.” Yuri said, ignoring how his voice trembled in fear at his own words. Mila had never been one to miss an opportunity to try to take down a werewolf, so the fact she attacked _Minami_ was more than a bit distressing to the vampire.

Minami slowly began to understand his soulmate’s concern and hugged Yuri back, his arms sliding around Yuri’s waist and squeezing him slightly, “I would’ve been fine. If she really tried to hurt me I would have fought back. I’m not a little kid you know.” Minami murmured, nuzzling into Yuri’s neck, taking in his soulmates smell and relaxing completely, “Come on, let’s get going. I’d hate to make your grandfather worry because we’re late.”

-

Yuuri sighed as he fell backward onto his bed, his senses unnervingly dull and freshly cleaned from his shower. He had taken all the medicine he needed to before his heat started, essentially making sure most of his reactions would be muted. Last time even the mere thought of his soulmate, while he was in bed, was too much, this time was going to be a lot more direct if not worse.   

Yuuri and Viktor had discussed the limitations on what they were both comfortable with ahead of time, much to Yuuri’s embarrassment. They easily concluded that under no circumstances should they have, for lack of a better word, penetrative sex. It was too dangerous and just asking for trouble. Yuuri also set Viktor up with a few books that definitively explained what real heats were like instead of the overly dramatic movie versions. Yuuri just hadn’t been able to bring himself to describe it to Viktor. Far too embarrassing.

Yuuri wasn't entirely sure where Viktor was at the moment, most likely downstairs or something. Yuuri had decided he should stay in his bedroom to avoid his scent from getting anywhere else. The lack of Viktor put Yuuri on edge though. He wanted Viktor here. Grumbling Yuuri pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and whined slightly. The movement felt odd like Yuuri was stiff.  

To remedy the stiffness, Yuuri rolled his shoulders, doing his best to wring the feeling out of his muscles. It did little though and absent-mindedly Yuuri started to stretch in earnest. Maybe he was just too stiff from not doing anything labor intensive the past few days. The stretching slowly seemed to start to help and Yuuri groaned at wonderful the stretch on the back of his thighs he felt as he leaned forward. Now, what would make it even better was if someone could apply some pressure on his back.    

With that train of thought going through Yuuri’s mind he imagined Viktor helping with the stretches. Viktor bending him in half would feel wonderful on his muscles and a pressure on his chest or lower would feel even better. Yuuri’s mind lazily toyed with the idea of being aroused in a detached manner. Sure, his instincts were telling him that he should be aching to be pressed into the bed and fall into place with Viktor, but for some reason, it just seemed _dull_. Cuddling would be much more satisfying. 

Yuuri was in his own little world completely and didn’t snap out of it until the door to his bedroom opened, Viktor walking in with a tray of food. He blinked a few times, admiring Yuuri’s half-clothed form before swallowing loudly and setting the tray down on one of the nightstands. "I thought you might be hungry. It is important to keep your strength up."  

Yuuri nodded, having been watching Viktor solely as he spoke. When he stopped, Yuuri’s eyes slowly drifted to the tray and his stomach loudly growled. Flushed in embarrassment, Yuuri moved towards the food and quickly started eating, sitting down on his bed as he did so. If his mouth was full then he couldn’t talk, right? At least, that was Yuuri’s logic as he scarfed down the food Viktor had gotten for him. It was admittedly some microwaved frozen food, but honestly,  Yuuri was just glad that it wasn’t burned.

Viktor watched Yuuri with a fond smile, a slight warmth in his chest at seeing Yuuri happily dig into the food he had prepared. Even if Viktor had barely done anything substantial to make it, it made his heart swell with pride at Yuuri’s quietly joyful expression as he ate. Viktor sat down next to Yuuri and tucked his chin onto Yuuri’s shoulder, sliding his arms around Yuuri as he did so.

Yuuri blushed and squirmed slightly. "Viktor, I'm eating, this isn't cuddle time." He said, gently chiding Viktor, while secretly relishing the feel of Viktor's skin on his own. Despite his protests and his lack of normal heat signs,  Yuuri still found himself craving Viktor’s touch on his skin. Even if it was merely gentle caresses.

“I’m not cuddling, just holding.” He paused in consideration, “Do you want me to stop?” Viktor asked, stilling himself, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He said in an instantly serious tone. The soul connection was so dulled with the medicines Yuuri was on that it was hard to read his emotions, making Viktor momentarily panic.

Yuuri rolled his eyes and stuffed the last bit of his food into his mouth. He leaned forward and quickly set his plate on the nightstand before leaning back against Viktor, “Not in the slightest. In fact, if you stopped I’d be mad.” Yuuri said, turning his shoulders so that Viktor had to move his head and look him in the eyes. "I don't want you going anywhere for the next week,"  Yuuri said, quickly pecking Viktor’s cheek and moving his head to nuzzle his face into Viktor’s neck.  

Viktor hummed in pleased approval as he let his eyes scan Yuuri’s body. It was hard to see at this angle but Yuuri’s skin seemed to have little marks on it. Viktor hadn’t looked at Yuuri shirtless much and admittedly he was going to take advantage of it. Yuuri, despite softening since the end of the war a few short months ago, still had a good physique. While Yuuri was occupied nuzzling his neck, Viktor ghosted his fingers over Yuuri’s stomach, tracing any marks he found.

When his fingers touched a particularly large one on Yuuri’s hip his hands stilled. “How’d you get this one? I’ve never known you to be careless and I’m sure I would have heard about it if you suffered a major injury like this.”

Yuuri grumbled and pulled away from Viktor’s neck, moving back from Viktor and laying across the bed. His face was flushed but he looked irritated, “I let myself get hurt in a battle, I think I was particularly upset about the whole war thing. Only Minami found out cuz I hid it pretty well.” Yuuri said with a lazy yawn at the end looking over at Viktor with half-open eyes. His body felt groggy but he couldn’t bear the thought of spending a moment he could be staring at Viktor asleep.

Viktor’s jaw tightened. He knew Yuuri had been distressed about the start of the war. Viktor even knew that Yuuri felt a large amount of guilt over it, but Viktor never thought it was this deep. Viktor bit his lip and laid back, scooting next to Yuuri, “You really worry me sometimes.”

Yuuri blinked slowly, having not quite realized that what he said was distressing. After a moment of consideration, he spoke, “Things are different now. I’ve got to keep myself in good shape to protect you.” Yuuri said with a yawn and nuzzling his face back into Viktor’s neck.

Viktor chuckled, wrapping an arm around Yuuri, “If it gets you to stay safe, I’ll take it.”

-

Minami was being uncharacteristically quiet on the taxi ride to Yuri’s grandfather’s home. He stared out the window as though lost in thought, essentially shutting off the soul connection completely, to Yuri’s silent distress. Yuri wasn’t exactly sure which would be the best way to handle it, confront Minami directly or try to distract him.

Had it been just about anyone else, it would have pissed Yuri off more than anything. But with Minami, it was unsettling. For one of the first times ever, Minami looked serious. Genuinely so, to the point that Yuri wasn’t certain what would happen if he tried to get Minami to react.

Soon enough they arrived at Yuri’s grandfather’s house and whatever seemed to be bothering Minami vanished as suddenly as it appeared judging by his expression. “Holy… is this really his house?” Minami murmured as he stepped out of the car, barely able to grasp the size of it. Yuuri’s and his house was large compared to many houses in that area of Japan, but this house was the size of a mansion, easily. Over five floors and, honestly, it resembled a palace.

Yuri rolled his eyes and smiled at Minami's reaction as he set the bags down next to him, having handled the cost of the ride himself. "Is it really that big? Seems modest to me. I mean, this is the house I grew up in and it really doesn’t seem that big." Yuri said shrugging, unable to not brag slightly.

Minami gasped, “Oh wow, that’s insane. I mean like, Yuuri’s house is huge, but this isn’t even a house, it’s a palace.” Minami said, certain of his conclusion.

Before Minami could go into a full rant, the door of the house opened and out stepped a man in a suit who promptly opened the door wide and stepped back, holding it open. At a slow leisurely pace, out walked an older vampire. Old in the sense that he was clearly older than Viktor but barely looked it physically. He had messy blond hair the same shade as Yuri’s and green eyes that looked just as cold as Yuri’s could. He was dressed in an expensive suit and had a presence that commanded respect.

Minami’s mind flipped through multiple different ways of presenting himself in a few, short seconds. His body reacted on reflex though and he barely had a moment to process before he jerked his head away and felt his stomach churn in unease. This was the power of an ancient vampire.

Minami’s distress wasn’t noticed though as Yuri strode forward and hugged the man tightly, laughing as the man hugged him back and squeezed him enough to pick him off the ground, “No running hug today?” The man said, smiling down at Yuri as he set him back on the ground.

Yuri snorted and looked away, embarrassed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Running hugs are something only kids do.” He said, attempting to look cool. Yuri had forgotten that he didn’t exactly behave as his cool and collected self around his grandfather and could only imagine what his soulmate was thinking. "You're embarrassing me, grandpa," Yuri muttered, hoping his grandfather wouldn't tease him too much in front of Minami.   

Minami hadn’t moved from where he stood frozen. The pair were speaking in Russian and while he had been studying, his studies were with slowly spoken short phrases using the few words he knew. This was anything but. He would have stayed there all day if the man hadn’t motioned him forward with a wave of the hand while speaking in English. “I don’t bite, Yurochka would be too mad at me. It’s nice to get to meet you, Minami, I’m Yuri’s grandfather but you can call me Nikolai.” He said, offering his hand to shake.

Minami forced his mind to focus on the task at hand, ignoring how his body was shaking and walked forward. Instincts on the verge of kicking into full gear. His eyes were pitch black and it took all his control to not transform or bolt. He knew the rumors, he just hadn't expected them to be true. For most wolves, vampires put them on edge, but with Minami's lengthy exposure to them during the war, it didn't register for him anymore that anything was different.  Yuuri had warned him years ago that older vampires gave off an aura that felt different. And of course, there were the horror stories of running into a vampire on the battlefield that was so terrifying that you immediately puked, but Minami hadn't truly believed it. Why would anyone react like that? 

He understood now. The sheer overwhelming presence they had was enough to cause the reaction. Carefully, he approached and stopped next to Yuri, refraining from meeting Nikolai’s eyes. Minami took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and defiantly met Nikolai’s eyes as he shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, please, call me Kenjirou.”

Nikolai’s eyes widened as he shook Minami’s hand, surprise evident. Yuri looked confusedly between them, not getting what the sudden tension was about. Nikolai spared him the confusion any longer and explained, “Wolves have many instincts regarding other species. Older vampires trigger a bit of fight or flight. They sense the danger we pose. Just as you and Viktor can sense that I’m older than you both just by being near me.” As he withdrew his hand Nikolai offered an apologetic smile to Minami, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you would actually do that. It’s been quite some time since I met a wolf who manages to keep in control near me. It’s very impressive Kenjirou.”

Minami pulled his hand back and nodded, relaxing slightly at the knowledge this was expected, “I’ve trained for years and fought on the front during the war. I should be able to do something simple like this for Yuri.” He said looking over at his soulmate and giving him a strained smile. Minami managed to keep his cool for Yuri and Yuri alone. This old vampire, no matter how terrifying and unnerving he seemed to be, was precious to Yuri. And if he was precious to Yuri, then he was precious to Minami as well.

Nikolai turned and walked inside, motioning for them to follow him, “Regardless, I look forward to getting to know you Kenjirou. My grandson is very precious to me, I won’t let just anyone be with him. Even his soulmate.” He said with slight venom sinking into his voice as he walked to one of the large couches in the front room and sat down, motioning towards the two armchairs in front of him for Yuri and Minami to sit down.

Yuri glared and retorted before Minami even could, “It’s not your decision.” He said reflexively before the realization dawned on him that he just snapped at his grandfather. Minami’s entire body tensed, unable to read Yuri enough to tell whether or not he should be afraid.

Nikolai brushed it off with ease though, “I know it’s not, but I still feel the need to inspect him myself. I know I can’t tell you what to do anymore, but I do still know about some things you don’t. Consider it humoring me.” Nikolai’s expression and tone were light but Minami didn’t relax much, despite Yuri slumping into one of the chairs, clearly at ease.

“So why are we sitting here? Can’t we relax or something in a different room?” Yuri questioned, already unamused with the odd choice of room to talk in. His grandfather was a reasonable man and rarely did things without purpose.

Minami responded on reflex, saving Nikolai the time, “I’m not entirely sure I could be in a smaller room right now. I feel claustrophobic as is.” Minami’s voice was quiet, only loud enough to make sure both would hear him. It was embarrassing showing weakness so fast like this. He wanted to be the strong, confident soulmate Yuri could show off but presently it was taking all of Minami’s self-control to stay calm. His instincts were going wild. Thankfully he was managing to keep it together and mute the soul connection. Minami knew that if he let the connection have anything go through it he wouldn’t be able to control how much Yuri felt. Minami couldn’t bear the thought of Yuri having to deal with this also.

The small moment Minami spent distracted imagining Yuri experiencing this feeling caused his control to falter. His stomach churned and his entire body tensed. His body surged with the desire to fight back or run. Both were incredibly tempting. This whole thing just didn't feel safe to him. It was the same feeling he  had gotten before a battle or moments before something went horribly wrong. Normally it was so brief that he couldn’t react fully before something happened but right now it felt like he was frozen in time. The feeling kept going and nothing was happening. It was unnerving.

Mentally he even tried to reason out with himself that there was no way that this all could be safe. It didn’t feel safe. It felt like he was in the jaws of a monster that hadn’t quite bitten down yet. Panic was rushing through his system, begging him to grab Yuri and run. Run as far as he could go and then keep going.

Minami hadn’t even noticed the tears budding in his eyes as his panic continued to intensify. It was hard to focus on anything else and he could slowly feel his grip slip away until suddenly, all his emotions froze and seemed to melt away. Minami blinked rapidly as he slowly tried to figure out what was going on. There was a hand over his own and it was grounding him quickly. It was Yuri’s hand. Yuri was holding his hand. His soulmate was safe and next to him. As Minami’s eyes focused again, he quickly found Yuri’s concerned eyes watching him.

Yuri slowly drew in a breath, forcing down the spike of fear he felt when Minami locked eyes with him. Minami’s eyes were pitch black and it didn’t take a genius to realize Minami nearly transformed in panic alone. It was alarming at how fast this felt like it was happening but judging from Minami’s quickly softening expression, grabbing his hand had been the right thing to do. A few fluttering blinks of Minami’s eyes and they were back to their normal gorgeous brown.

Minami wiped at his eyes and looked mildly apologetic, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” He gently squeezed Yuri’s hand, “Thank you for doing something.”

Yuri blinked, stunned by the quick change to normal, "It's what soulmates do," He said looking away and blushing deep red at the pure love Minami was pushing into the connection. It was all-encompassing and feeling such a strong emotion directed solely at him was admittedly overwhelming for Yuri. 

-

Yuuri sighed happily as he pressed closer to Viktor, the sheets and blankets tight around them on the bed. Yuuri had refused to let Viktor out of his sight for more than a moment. Despite Viktor’s words, it was obvious he was just as happy with the situation as Yuuri was.

“You’re being awfully clingy today, any reason?” Viktor asked, lazily playing with Yuuri’s hair with his fingers. They were both leaning back on the pillows on Yuuri’s bed with the blankets piled on top. Viktor felt like he knew the answer but he wanted to hear it out loud anyway.

Yuuri hummed happily and looked up at Viktor with soft, gentle eyes. “I think it’s probably one of the few things about my heat that the drugs aren’t taking care of.” Yuuri mused, moving and pulling himself into a seated position on Viktor’s lap. Viktor’s eyes widened and the drowsiness immediately disappeared from them. Yuuri smirked slightly to himself, pleased at Viktor's reaction. "I can't get you to smell enough like me. I can still smell the slightest amount of something else on you and honestly, it's driving me up a wall."  Yuuri said, not sounding as annoyed as he claimed he was.

Viktor forced himself to focus on Yuuri’s face, knowing that if he got too distracted by their position it would all go downhill fast. Yuuri’s lidded eyes were _not_ doing Viktor any favors though so he looked away and tried to change the topic, “You’re not wearing your necklace, I thought you’d like to wear it more.”

Yuuri hummed and frowned, “You’re right. Guess you’ll just have to mark me so it’s obvious I’m yours even if I forget to put it on.” Yuuri murmured, leaning back and placing his hands behind him on Viktor’s thighs. Yuuri tipped his head back and pushed his chest forward, giving Viktor a fantastic view of his exposed throat. "Oh well, it happens,"  Yuuri said, making eye contact with Viktor. 

Viktor felt his throat go dry at Yuuri’s uncharacteristic boldness. “You’re not thinking clearly.” Viktor heard himself saying as his eyes locked on the pale skin of Yuuri’s throat. Marking his soulmate and probably getting to taste Yuuri’s blood? It was incredibly enticing.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes, “I said you could do whatever during my heat except put it in, this counts as whatever.” Yuuri said with a firm stare, frustrated that Viktor was hesitating.

Viktor’s eyes widened and he blinked rapidly, it sounded so lewd when Yuuri put it bluntly like that.  Viktor could feel his body slowly warm as his brain fought with whether he should do it. He and Yuuri had decided that since Viktor was going to be the more level-headed one, he should make the in-the-moment calls. Frustratingly,    Yuuri _had_ given Viktor permission to bite him before his heat. Viktor vainly tried to change the subject again, “Are you trying to seduce me or something? Because you really are acting like it.”

Viktor had meant it to sound like a joke but Yuuri had other ideas, “Of course, what else would I be doing?”

-

Nikolai cleared his throat carefully and looked between Yuri and Minami, “I’ll leave you two to get some rest. I’m sorry for causing you to strain yourself so much today.” He said apologetically, hoping his sincerity got through.

Minami and Yuri snapped out of their little world for two at the same time, Minami speaking first though and standing quickly, "No, let me go, I'm sure you two have things to talk about." Upon noticing Yuri's disbelieving look, Minami continued, "I'm tired, I think I need a bit of a nap before I'm completely with it mentally." 

Noticing that Yuri relaxed and seemed to believe him, Nikolai waved his hand in the air and quickly a girl walked up. She was in a simple black dress and bland white apron, resembling the attire of a waitress more than a maid, “Take Kenjirou up to his and Yuri’s room I had prepared.” Nikolai said simply, not even looking at her.

Minami’s eyes widened, did he seriously have _legitimate_ _staff_ for his house? Well, in all honesty, it was a mansion, so it made sense but it boggled Minami's mind. He never imagined that people seriously needed formal maids in homes. He always figured it was a cinematic embellishment. Sure, Yuuri had staff for his house but they weren't treated so formally. Each person was always referred to by their name and not literally commanded to do things. It was always phrased like a question if it was something specific that needed to be done, as though asking a friend for a favor.    

The woman nodded and lowered her head, gesturing towards a doorway, “Right this way, sir.” She said in a monotone voice.

Minami blinked and looked at Yuri, wondering how to react. Yuri nodded, “It’s normal, this place doesn’t clean itself. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Yuri said, hoping it was reassuring to Minami. Minami blinked a few times before nodding back at Yuri and letting himself be lead from the room.

Yuri followed the woman through the eerily quiet hallways until she opened a door for him, revealing a large, beautiful bedroom. There was a massive bed and the room seemed like it belonged in a castle. Yuri’s and his bags were already there, so with a shrug Minami threw himself down onto the bed, letting himself melt into it. The sheets were wonderfully free of scent which was something he appreciated immensely. Nuzzling his face into the bed Minami felt drowsiness tug at the edges of his mind.

He had been lying about needing a nap earlier but laying down like this made that nap idea quite tempting. Just as he started to drift off Minami’s phone started ringing. With a heavy sigh, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, answering without seeing who was calling and pressing it to his ear, “Hello?”

“Hi Mina, are you free right now? Um, can we talk?” It was Sara on the other end, sounding nervous.

Minami sighed, “What do you want to talk about? Something normal or about how your soulmate wanted to kill me on sight earlier? Because the latter really wasn’t surprising so I don’t think there’s much to talk about.”

 

 


	18. Tension of Both Kinds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Just so you know every scene with Viktor and Yuuri in this chapter is nsfw. The pov switches go back and forth from Viktor and Yuuri to Minami and Yuri each time to make it easier to skip. Each section is divided with a - as usual and for a secondary heads up the chapter starts out with Viktor and Yuuri.

Viktor groaned and leaned his head back as Yuuri rolled his hips experimentally, smirking to himself at the emotions coming from Viktor’s end of the soul connection. Yuuri was dead serious about Viktor biting him and the more he moved on top of Viktor the more his body seemed to heat up. Yuuri couldn’t help but pant quietly as he moved more and more, rotating his hips. “Viktoooor, please, unless you don’t want to, I don’t see why we shouldn’t do something. Don’t you want to feel me?”

Viktor moaned and looked back at Yuuri, “Of course I do, I haven’t had anyone in my lap like this in years. I would like nothing more than to take you up on that offer.” Viktor said, placing his hands on Yuuri’s hips and rubbing circles into his skin. 

Yuuri growled and leaned forward, placing his hand next to Viktor’s head, “Don’t talk about anyone else in front of me. Right now, you’re mine.” Yuuri said, grinding his hips down against Viktor’s, relishing the feeling and moaning slightly as he did so. Yuuri could feel Viktor getting hard beneath him faster as he moved. 

Viktor stared, stunned and more aroused than he would have guessed. Yuuri having a dominating tone like that was doing wonders for his dick. Viktor nodded weakly, “Won’t happen again, I promise.” He said as his eyes surveyed Yuuri’s body. His nipples were clearly hard and there was a tent in Yuuri’s pants, making it obvious how he was feeling if the soul connection hadn’t already given it away.

After a few more slow presses down with his hips, Yuuri moved back and turned his head to the side, presenting his neck again. “Bite me Viktor, let me help you feel good.” Yuuri murmured, letting his sincerity and desire reach Viktor through the soul connection. Yuuri’s heart was easily heard, going a mile a minute as he tried to keep calm, but failed miserably. His entire being felt like it was on fire and that the only thing that could cool him down was Viktor.

The loud sounds of Yuuri’s heart and wonderfully pale skin were just enough to get Viktor to cave. Carefully he leaned forward and nuzzled Yuuri’s neck. Yuuri smelled heavenly this close and Viktor wanted to savor Yuuri’s thick scent in the air. Normally Yuuri’s mild paranoia was enough to keep his scent hidden, but now that Yuuri was in heat, he seemed to have given up on hiding it. Without wasting another moment, Viktor opened his mouth and slowly bit into Yuuri’s skin. 

The reaction was immediate. Yuuri’s hot, thick blood running down his throat was enough to obliterate the last ounce of Viktor’s control. Quickly, Viktor flipped them so that Yuuri was pinned beneath him on the bed. Yuuri gasped at the sudden movement, but let himself be man-handled nonetheless. Viktor moaned loudly into Yuuri’s neck, letting Yuuri’s blood flood his senses.

With the explicit permission Viktor had been given, it erased any of the guilt he might have otherwise felt about harming Yuuri. The pleasure shooting through the soul connection helped too. From what Viktor could gather, Yuuri was on cloud nine and doing his best to hold on. Viktor moaned even louder into Yuuri’s throat as he thought about how Yuuri was almost cumming just from Viktor’s bite alone. Admittedly, it filled Viktor with pride. 

-

Sara’s nervous laughter was unsurprising, “I didn’t think you would meet her so soon. Wait, why are you in Russia with Yuri Plisetsky? Without Yuuri, no less? From what Mila was telling me he almost seemed protective of you. I never thought of you as the type to let a vampire protect you. Or am I missing something?”

Minami bit his lip and let Sara’s words hang in the air. He hadn’t thought about that. He hadn’t told her about Yuri being his soulmate. Should he tell her? There wasn’t a good explanation for him being in Russia that Minami could think of that didn’t involve Yuri being his soulmate, or for that matter telling Sara that Yuuri was in heat. The whole omega thing was still a secret after all. Minami bit his lip, whose secret was less vital? He couldn’t tell Sara Yuuri’s, so did that mean he should say his? “Um, would you trust me if I told you you’ll find out at the summit?”

Sara paused for a moment, debating the information for a moment, “Yeah, I think I would. I won’t tell anyone either about you being there. You and Yuuri have never done anything for me to doubt you, after all. Just, stay safe? We don’t have anyone even semi-partial to us in Russia. The best we have is distant connections that wouldn’t help much.” Sara paused taking a deep breath before rushing her words out, “Don’t tell Mila, please. I really want to be there when she finds out about me. Not to mention there’s a lot to think about. The whole pack thing. I-I probably don’t have to tell you why, right?”

Minami felt his heart ache for her, he could only imagine how afraid Sara was. Mila probably wouldn’t accept her, the pack wouldn’t accept her, and Michele certainly wouldn’t. When Minami had visited her recently, she had told him about her soulmate being a racist vampire named Mila but he didn’t know  _ who _ Mila was. Knowing who she was made it blaringly obvious that she would not accept Sara. “She won’t hear it from me.” He paused, “But wait to make any decisions until after the summit, I’m sure something Yuuri brings up will be relevant new information to consider. It’s going to be okay. Even if the pack decides to forbid it, I won’t be going anywhere.” 

On the other end, Sara breathed an audible sigh of relief, a slight weight from her chest being lifted. She didn’t bother pointing out that if the pack did forbid it and Minami continued to support her, it would cause a lot of tension between him and Yuuri. But for the moment, she was just glad to have his theoretical support. “Thank you. Please, keep safe while you’re there. You’ve gone to a dangerous place. Talk to you later.”

“Bye,” Minami said before the call was ended. He set his phone to the side and sighed as he pulled himself up into a seated position. This was a mess. Everyone and their cousin seemed to have a vampire soulmate in the pack. Okay really it was only three of them, but it still seemed like a lot. Minami cringed at the realization that surely there had been much more than the three of them. And considering that they hadn’t heard of many then people must have been ignoring their soulmates. 

The thought of having to bear loving Yuri but never being able to see and be around him caused a brutal streak of pain to go through Minami. Soulmates were precious. If you share a true mutual love with someone, then you should get to be with them. You shouldn’t have to hide your feelings for them just because other people don’t understand or think it’s appropriate. Minami laid back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling in dismay. This world was kind of fucked up. 

-

Yuuri was gripping at Viktor’s shoulders and moaning desperately, rambling in desperate Japanese, “ _ Fuck, fuck, more please, don’t stop. It feels so good, please keep going.”  _ Yuuri rushed out in between gasps of pleasure and loud moans. His body had never felt so hot before. He had never done anything sexual with anyone, having been too afraid they would realize he was an omega. Plus, even with the muted reactions, the pleasure was still mind blowing and all-consuming. Yuuri gasped as he felt himself start leaking from his hole. The Viktor’s moans and the feeling of arousal on Viktor’s end of the connection was becoming too much fast. Yuuri didn’t even realize that Viktor wasn’t even drinking his blood anymore, just kissing and sucking at his throat, intent on leaving a definitive mark. 

Viktor could tell Yuuri was barely hanging on and figured he’d spare him from teasing considering he could hear the desperate primal need for release from Yuuri’s end of the connection. Slowly Viktor licked his way up to Yuuri’s ear and whispered, “Go on, cum Yuuri, I want you to feel good.”

That was all the encouragement that Yuuri needed, arching his back and gasping loudly as he came, his body tensing in pure pleasure as he did so, frozen in bliss. Yuuri’s mind went blank until the feeling slowly passed, panting heavily as his body fell back onto the bed. He was breathing heavily and trying to recover from the feeling. Nothing had ever seemed to feel so intense for him. Sure, he had masturbated before, but having Viktor getting him to climax was something else entirely. Sure, it was the same type of pleasure, but completely different levels of it. Kind of like eating instant ramen or katsudon. One was passable, the other was unimaginable bliss.

Viktor smiled down at Yuuri, taking in the beautiful sight of Yuuri’s chest heaving, trying to catch his breath as Viktor leaned back. Yuuri might be exhausted for a few hours. The books Viktor had read said that during a heat omegas had a faster refractory period than normal but that during the first few or if one was on medicines to reduce the symptoms that the refractory period wouldn’t be much faster than normal. 

Viktor grinned at watching Yuuri try to recover from the aftershocks of his orgasm that were still obviously going through him. Yuuri looked heavenly, his messy black hair framing his beautiful face in just the right way, his pajama bottoms wet in the front from cum, and the beautiful dark mark on his neck with tiny droplets of blood drying on the holes from where Viktor’s fangs had pierced his skin. The sweet yet hearty taste of Yuuri’s blood freshly going through him, Viktor was in a state of bliss. Carefully, he reached his hand down and undid his own pants, pulling himself out. It felt wonderful to be free of his constricting jeans. A few slow strokes later and Viktor was completely hard, enjoying the thought of watching Yuuri recover from a mindblowing orgasm  _ Viktor _ had given him as he got off. 

Yuuri eyes lazily opened and took in the sight of Viktor’s cock being stroked a few inches above his stomach. Yuuri felt his hormones kick into gear again, Viktor was amazingly hard and the sudden urge to pleasure his mate came over Yuuri. Carefully he wiggled his hips until Viktor moved off him, confused. Yuuri smirked, enjoying Viktor’s puzzled expression as Yuuri pushed him gently on his back so Viktor was lying where Yuuri had just been and settled himself between Viktor’s legs, before Viktor realized what he was going to do.

“You don’t need to do anything Yuuri, I can handle this.” Viktor weakly protested, watching eagerly nonetheless. Yuuri’s flushed face and pink lips were so close to his cock that it was hard to tell himself he didn’t want Yuuri to move the last few inches. Viktor was worried though, Yuuri certainly hadn’t given a blowjob before, and he didn’t want Yuuri to feel like he was obligated to make Viktor feel good since he orgasmed. Viktor wasn’t an idiot, he knew perfectly well that probably half the reason Yuuri came so fast was because he could feel Viktor nearly getting off from Yuuri’s blood. It almost seemed like Viktor was getting pleasured twice in his opinion.

Yuuri looked up and made eye contact as he gave a slow lick to Viktor’s cock, “I know. But I want to taste you.” Yuuri said before looking back down at Viktor’s cock, “Not to sound cliché, but you’ve got a really nice dick.” Yuuri looked back up and made eye contact again, “I would be sad if I couldn’t get a proper taste of you.” He said before opening his mouth and taking Viktor’s head into it.

-

Minami was sleeping by the time Yuri came into the room. Being back home made it hard to remember that Minami still needed sleep. Yuri felt bad for Minami though, he hadn’t realized the strain the whole thing would put on Minami until his grandfather had pointed it out. Admittedly, it was having Yuri second guess whether they should stay here for the little over a week they were supposed to be gone. 

Sure, it made sense to stay in the sense it would save money and make having a safe escape easier than otherwise, but if it was causing Minami so much difficulty from merely being in the same room as Nikolai, it made Yuri second guess the decision. Minami sleeping soundly was reassuring, Yuri hadn’t been sure that Minami would be able to sleep in the unusual environment, but said adorable blond was seemingly having no trouble doing so. Soft snores were music to Yuri’s ears and he gently rubbed Minami’s back, smiling to himself.

It felt safe here. Being home with Minami felt safe and just so completely  _ right _ . Like everything could truly work out like this. Yuri ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that there was no way that they could ever stay here long term and allowed himself to indulge in the present moment. Carefully he moved to the other side of the bed and laid down, scooting over until he was next to Minami and wrapping his arms around him and drawing his soulmate close. Having Minami at his chest made the already soothing moment become even more perfect.

Idly, as Yuri closed his eyes he thought about Mila and what had happened earlier. He was going to have a word with her about what she did. Sure, he probably wouldn’t tell her why he was so pissed, but that didn’t make it any more unacceptably outrageous that she  _ dared _ to lay hands on his soulmate. Minami wouldn’t have fought back no matter what happened there. He was in the heart of vampire territory and most vampires had the mentality of “kill first ask questions later.”

Yuri sighed as he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up when he did. At what point would Minami have given up not fighting and defended himself? Would Minami have done that before it was too late? Yuri wasn’t sure and that uncertainty made his stomach twist in an unease. Yuri wasn’t sure he would be able to live with himself if something happened to Minami while trying to avoid causing trouble for Yuri. Sure, avoiding brawls in airports was important, but Minami was far more important.

Yuri smiled softly as he felt Minami’s heart beating slowly and steadily. Minami felt so fragile like this. As though one good gust of wind and the light that was his life would go out. Vampires were nearly indestructible, but comparatively wolves were more like glass. It was what always gave vampires the confidence to fight them in wars. Wolves were insanely mortal by comparison. A limb removed or a decent hit to the head and they were dead. During the war, it gave Yuri the confidence to disregard any possible danger fighting would cause, but now it terrified him. Minami could die. Minami  _ would _ die one day. Yuri squeezed Minami to his chest tightly at that thought. No matter what, Yuri would make certain that Minami would live a full, long life. When the time came, centuries from now, Yuri would deal with the loss then.

Minami’s eyes fluttered open, sensing the strong disturbance in the soul connection, wondering what was going on. As he slowly became aware that Yuri was hugging him tightly, Minami started to wiggle and twist so that he was facing Yuri. Yuri’s eyes blinked, startled. Minami frowned, deep concern on his face as he freed one of his arms and cupped Yuri’s cheek. “Are you okay? You’re crying.” Minami whispered, the drowsiness leaving his body.

Yuri stared back at him and leaned his head forward so their foreheads touched, “I am now.” Yuri said, not about to let Minami know that he was freaking out over the notion that one day he would have to see Minami die. 

Minami could feel that Yuri was lying through the connection but decided against pressing the issue. Minami thought for a moment, trying to decide what would help the most in this situation before an idea occurred to him, “Why don’t we go on a date tomorrow? I’ve never been to Russia after all. I want to get to know the place you grew up in.” Minami said, offering Yuri a hopeful, weak smile.

Yuri blinked, considering the notion for a few moments, toying with the idea. Sure, it was an obvious ploy to get him distracted from whatever the unknown force was that was distressing him, but for Minami he’d go along with it. “That sounds like a great idea, thanks Kenjirou.” Yuri said, still having a bit of difficulty making sure he was pronouncing Minami’s name correctly.

Minami beamed, “Perfect.” He said before leaning forward and giving Yuri a quick kiss. “Now let’s see if we can get some sleep in, okay?”

-

Yuuri hummed happily as he looked up at Viktor, a pleased look on his face, “Did I do good?” Yuuri asked, tilting his head slightly and looking up at Viktor from underneath his lashes. He looked obscene. Cum was splattered on his face, dripping from some of his hair and onto his cheeks, along with some dripping down his lips and some of it sliding down his neck. Despite that, Viktor knew Yuuri had intentionally gotten his cum all over himself, it was still erotic. 

Viktor nodded weakly, since he had barely any energy to speak after his orgasm. Yuuri apparently gave excellent head, which was confusing, but Viktor was hardly the type to complain about receiving an excellent blow job. Viktor couldn’t help but watch with hungry eyes as Yuuri licked his lips and seemingly took in his appearance. 

“You got me quite messy, I’m sure this will be a pain to get out of my hair.” Yuuri said looking up at his bangs before back at Viktor, “But at least in the meantime, I get to smell like you. Now just to make sure you smell like me.” Yuuri said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

Viktor gulped dramatically but smiled up at Yuuri, “Oh no, what a horrible fate. What did you have in mind?” He said, raising his eyebrows feeling his energy return to him somewhat. Not needing sleep was very handy when it came to stamina in bed. Sure, Viktor wouldn’t be able to get hard too fast, but he would still be able to get Yuuri going in the meantime. Not to mention that seeing Yuuri like this was flat out intoxicating. Even without Viktor having much of his sense of smell from some of the drugs he had gotten to help him keep his head during this, Viktor couldn’t help but be pulled in. It felt like every fiber in his body wanted to be as close and tightly pressed to Yuuri as possible. Viktor’s dick was craving it and it felt like his skin was on fire where he wasn’t touching Yuuri. 

Yuuri hesitated for a moment, uncertainty crossing his face. Within a moment though, it disappeared, “I want you to touch me…” Yuuri murmured as he straddled Viktor’s legs, carefully keeping it so Viktor’s cock was in front of him and not behind. Slowly Yuuri took one of Viktor’s hands and moved it so Viktor’s fingers were touching his hole. “Here.” Viktor had to sit up for his hand to comfortably reach, but he wasn’t complaining.

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, surprised and intrigued at the wetness that was slicking his fingers. Yuuri whimpered as Viktor traced his fingers around Yuuri’s hole, getting used to the feeling and watching Yuuri’s reaction. Viktor had plenty of experience pleasuring men and women, but an omega male werewolf was a first. Slowly, Viktor slid one of his fingers inside, surprised at how easily it went in. Yuuri’s body seemed to be sucking it in. “Mmm feels good,” Yuuri murmured as he rolled his hips slightly back, enjoying the feeling, despite it being nowhere near enough to fill him up properly.  

Viktor slid another finger in and inhaled sharply at the lewd squelching sound Yuuri’s hole made as he did so. Both fingers fit so easily that it was genuinely surprising for Viktor. Surprising, and arousing. Sure, it wasn’t going to happen any time soon, but the thought of Yuuri’s eager and wet hole around Viktor’s cock was enough to start springing him back to being fully hard.

Viktor gently started scissoring Yuuri’s hole, taking in the delicious sounds Yuuri was making. Soft whimpers and eager moans. Viktor was so absorbed with Yuuri’s sounds he didn’t notice Yuuri moving more than that until Yuuri’s hand was wrapped around Viktor’s cock. Viktor gasped loudly and jerked his eyes up to meet Yuuri’s, stunned and completely enticed by Yuuri’s bold movements, stroking Viktor as he rocked himself back on Viktor’s fingers. 

Just as Viktor was going to lose himself in the moment, he felt a slight pain from Yuuri’s side of the connection. It took Viktor a moment to realize what was causing Yuuri pain but when he did, he flushed. From the heat of the moment, neither had gotten their clothes completely off. Viktor’s shirt was pushed up slightly and his jeans and boxers were half down his legs. Yuuri had his pants pushed down to his knees so he could just barely straddle Viktor. Carefully Viktor pushed Yuuri’s hands away and pushed him back. Yuuri made a frustrated face and gasped as Viktor removed his fingers, “What is it? I thought it was going well.” Yuuri grumbled, a little too aroused to figure out what Viktor was doing.

“Our clothes are in the way, they were hurting you a bit.” Viktor explained. Yuuri’s cheeks flushed, realizing that Viktor was right. Quickly, Yuuri removed his pants, with some struggling, and tossed them onto the floor. Viktor discarded his shirt and with some help from Yuuri, got his boxers and pants off. “Much better, now get over here, let’s see how much that hole of yours can take.” Viktor said, nearly purring at Yuuri.

Yuuri eagerly pulled himself back into Viktor’s lap, making sure his legs were spread plenty over Viktor’s thighs so that his hole would be easily accessible. As Viktor’s fingers started to trace his entrance Yuuri took Viktor’s cock into his hand and started a slow pace. Yuuri had been intending to be slow and teasing but as soon as Viktor pushed three fingers in at once he cried out in pleasure and stilled his hand. “Viktor~~~” He cried out, rocking slowly back on Viktor’s fingers, starting his hand back up in a slightly faster pace.

Viktor chuckled lowly and removed his fingers, scooping up some of Yuuri’s slick as he did so. Without wasting any time, he moved his hand placed it on the heads of both of their cocks, pulling them together, “This’ll make it easier, I think it should work as good lubricant.” Viktor said as he moved his hand back and started pushing in three fingers again.

Yuuri moaned loudly and readjusted his hands so that he was grasping both of their dicks with his hands and using the slick Viktor had put on them to start up a faster pace. Pressing his cock against Viktor was heavenly, especially while feeling Viktor’s fingers fucking his hole. Yuuri was confident in being able to keep it together for longer this time until Viktor slid in a fourth finger and pressed them into him as deep as his hand would go.

Viktor seemed to touch something inside Yuuri that caused Yuuri’s mind to go blank with pleasure. The pleasure was so sudden that Yuuri cried out, cumming hard as his body jerked forward, barely able to stay sitting up. The feeling of Yuuri cumming around his fingers and the grasp of Yuuri on his cock was enough to send Viktor over the edge as well, cumming hard and arching his back slightly, unable to think of anything but Yuuri as his body was racked by his orgasm. 

-

Minami hummed happily as they walked down the lengthy drive to the main road, thoroughly excited that he was going to get to spend the day with Yuri. He quickly snatched Yuri’s hand and laced their fingers together. Yuri looked over in surprise, a slight blush dusting his cheeks while Minami simply beamed at him, “Show me a good time today, `kay? This is my first trip to Russia after all. I want to make good memories with you.”

Yuri smiled nervously at Minami and squeezed his hand gently, “I’ll do my best for you.” As they got onto the sidewalk at the road, the air seemed to change. Not in a physically calculable way, but in the sense that it felt different. As they walked down the sidewalk going deeper into the city Yuri pointed out noteworthy buildings and store, smiling at Minami’s awestruck reaction each time.

Minami was having difficulty getting completely absorbed though, in all honesty. He could feel that something was different in the air as they walked and he knew something was bothering Yuri in the back of his mind. It would have been easier to ignore if they were talking much aside from Yuri telling Minami what things were, but they weren’t. In fact, the longer they walked the less Yuri would explain about each building or sight he pointed out. 

Minami was doing his best to figure out what was eating at Yuri since he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Frustrated that he couldn’t figure it out, Minami decided to take the mood into his own hands. Point at the first café Minami laid his eyes on once deciding to do something he started talking, “Let’s get something to drink, that place looks cool.” It really didn’t. It looked like just about every other café that wasn’t Starbucks Minami had seen. Modern aesthetic that was reminiscent of Starbucks with a vaguely similar logo but just different enough that they couldn’t get sued for copyright. 

Yuri blinked rapidly, snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and smiled slightly, looking more relieved than he probably realized. “Sounds good to me.” Yuri said before tightening his grip on Minami’s hand and leading the way into the café. 

The moment the door shut behind them, Minami could feel the odd sensation from earlier intensify tenfold at the very least. It made Minami’s stomach churn. As they got in line Minami became more aware of their surroundings. People were whispering now instead of the normal talking they had been doing when they walked in. Minami felt inclined to inform them that if it was to avoid him hearing it was a wasted effort since he didn’t know Russian, but he refrained. While the line slowly moved, Minami noticed Yuri wasn’t looking at him and the connection was dead silent.

To better ignore the sting in his chest that it gave him, Minami occupied himself with trying to take in more information about his surroundings. Minami was aware he felt tenser then normal so he slowly started toying with the feeling, trying to point out the origin. And then it hit him, everyone there was a vampire excluding himself. It was so surprising that Minami almost didn’t know how to react at first. Logically it shouldn’t have surprised him, but it was different to know something was objectively true compared to experiencing it.

Saint Petersburg was internationally known for being the vampire hub of the world, just as Tokyo was for the wolves. London was the mage hub also, ironically enough. Minami hadn’t realized how much variance there could be between the different hubs. Tokyo was bustling with wolves, but walking into any business and only having wolves be inside would be insane. Even businesses that catered to werewolf specific issues had plenty of humans or at the very least an elemental spirit or two working there. 

There were many eyes on him and Yuri and the more Minami thought about it the more obvious it was that that was why Yuri was so distressed. Honestly, it was even making Minami’s skin crawl with how intensely they were being watched. Thankfully they reached the register and were finally able to order.

_ “What can I get for you?”  _ The cashier asked, looking only at Yuri and speaking in Russian. Yuri supposed he couldn’t begrudge the other for that. After all, it wasn’t  _ required _ to know English and to assume that speaking exclusively in Russian would make it impossible to communicate with non-Russians, i.e. Minami. 

Yuri pushed that thought away and figured he’d just have to translate for Minami when he finished ordering,  _ “I’ll take a venti Caffe Americano with ten pumps of blood.”  _ Yuri supplied, deciding that high caffeine and blood would be good to help boost his mood from the debatably shitty date they were having.

The cashier wrote down the drink name on a cup and set it on the counter on the side that the baristas were making the drinks at and looked back at Yuri,  _ “And what would the mutt like?”  _ The moment the words left the man’s mouth, he paled, clearly realizing his mistake. Mostly, referring to wolves as such was common practice as a form of slang, that few acknowledged as a slur, especially since it was nearly unheard of for wolves to know Russian. Hence why many assumed there was no real harm done. 

Yuri glared daggers at the man, pure rage coming over him. How dare he refer to Minami like that? Sure, he was a werewolf, but that didn’t make him any less of a person. Minami gently tugged at Yuri’s sleeve, “What is it?” He asked in a quiet voice. Yuri blinked slowly, realizing that Minami clearly had felt all his sudden rage and might have heard some of his thoughts too. Fuck.

Without a moment of hesitation, Yuri grabbed Minami’s hand and rushed out, desperate to get all those eyes off them. He couldn’t bear people looking at Minami like that. Hell, Yuri couldn’t bear anyone looking at  _ him _ like that, much less Minami. Minami deserved better. Especially with those big brown eyes looking so confused and innocent right then. Once they were ample distance away, Yuri let go and stopped, turning into an alley. At least here they would be out of sight from people.

Yuri cut the connection to not alarm Minami as much and leaned back against one of the walls. Yuri knew his cheeks were flushed in anger, and it was all he could do to not scream in frustration. He hadn’t wanted to cause a scene and embarrass Minami but all Yuri wanted to do was go back and beat the shit out of the cashier. Ignorant fuck.

Minami was frowning and trying not to jump to conclusions about what Yuri was thinking. Without the connection, it was hard to figure out what exactly was going through Yuri’s mind. On one hand, Minami did know that Yuri was furious since the barista asked him something. But what that was was a mystery. Judging from Yuri’s flushed cheeks, it would be safe to assume either he was embarrassed or he really was  _ that _ angry. Minami was leaning towards the embarrassed. Everything considered, it must have something to do with him.

Surprisingly, Minami was suddenly thankful for the lack of connection, otherwise Yuri would have felt his chest swell as he forced down tears. He didn’t want Yuri to be embarrassed because of him. The more Minami thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. Of course, Yuri wouldn’t say something, that would be too rude. Choking back tears, Minami realized that it was  _ his _ idea to go out on a date after all. Yuri probably just agreed to humor him. 

Yuri ran his hand through his hair, slightly cooling off and taking in Minami’s expression as he looked over at his soulmate. Minami looked on the verge of tears. Fuck, maybe he did understand what the barista said? Or heard Yuri process it through the connection? Fuck fuck fuck. Yuri couldn’t bear Minami having such a sad expression any longer, so he quickly grabbed his hand again and led him out of the alley. They would salvage this day yet. After five minutes of walking, Yuri stopped them in front of a building with a triumphant smirk.

Minami stared blankly at the sign, not knowing what the letters said, but getting slightly excited at the picture of an ice skate on the sign. He looked eagerly over at Yuri, “Is it an ice rink?” 

Yuri snorted and rolled his eyes, “Duh, now come on, you look too miserable so let’s cheer you up.”

Ten minutes later, Minami was well stretched, laced up, and skating around the rink, happy and relaxed to be on the open ice again. The rink was busy but it was also big so skating was easy. Yuri had declined to skate for the time being. Minami suspected he didn’t know how to skate, but the thought that Yuri was still upset held him back from questioning it.  A few minutes with just the ice was doing wonders for Minami’s mood though.

The crisp sound of the blades gliding on the ice was all Minami needed before falling into the last routine he had been working on. Admittedly, it was based on a famous skater’s, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun doing an easier version. Minami was careful to be weary of his environment, making sure that he didn’t bump into anyone. After all, it’s not like he spoke any Russian, so he wouldn’t be able to apologize. 

Before long Minami was aware that he had more than Yuri’s eyes on him. Thankfully, some were amused children and others were impressed couples surprisingly. Ice skating was a wonderful mix of athleticism and performance so Minami couldn’t blame them since he clearly had more practice than the average person. If there hadn’t been a war, Minami might have considered going professional. Minami’s muscles burned happily at the exertion. He was a little nervous from the number of eyes on him though. He wasn’t  _ that _ good, after all it was just a hobby. Not to mention the more he thought about it the more he realized that he couldn’t afford to falter and take a fall. If he bled, that would go downhill fast. With that in mind he slowly started working himself out of the routine and back into lazy laps around the rink, trying not to break too out of the state of mind that he had been in while practicing. 

After a few more laps Minami skated back over to Yuri. At some point Yuri had rested his head down on the barrier of the rink. If vampires could sleep without their soulmates, Minami would have assumed Yuri was taking a nap. Gently, Minami took the end of Yuri’s sleeve and tugged on it slightly, “Come skate with me, isn’t this supposed to be a date?” Minami said, making a pouting face and trying to look as cute as possible.

Yuri slowly opened his eyes and nearly glared at Minami, “I’m tired, let me rest. Plus, I’m not in the mood to fall on my ass a dozen times in public.” Yuri said, glancing at the other people skating, feeling uncomfortable with how many eyes were on them. In the enclosed space, it was more obvious that somewhere there was a wolf present and Minami was sticking out like a sore thumb as the most likely to be a wolf. And in all honesty, one rude comment now from anyone about Minami being a wolf and Yuri would literally beat them up. Before Yuri was completely done with that train of thought his attention was forced back onto Minami, who looked on the verge of angry tears.

While Yuri had been contemplating beating up strangers, Minami had assumed the worst. “If you don’t want to be seen with me, you should just say so. I can feel what you’re thinking you know.” Minami said, quickly turning on his heel and skating to one of the gates at the edge of the rink. His chest burned in rage and pain. Through the soul connection he could feel Yuri’s stunned surprise at his actions. Minami didn’t care though, he was too upset. He felt bad for embarrassing Yuri, but why couldn’t Yuri just be honest with him? They were soulmates, they were supposed to trust each other. Not dance around the issue and have a horrible first date outside of a night in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie I haven't written anything nsfw seriously ever so, idk how that was. I really hope you guys like it because it sure was an experience to try and write something so different than normal for me. The fantastic thelastchappie on tumblr beta'd this for me so shout to her as always for being a great friend and an amazing editor. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter so I waited until I got a decent amount of the next chapter (okay only like 500 words but whatever) written so I'd be comfortable. That and its late at night so my judgment is debatable at best. So please tell me what you think, cuz I really would appreciate some support. Also you guys are the literal best. Last chapter's comments were so sweet and amazing and make me feel so excited to start back up again. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please comment with what you think. Until next time~


	19. Drama and Passion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Just so you know basically every scene with Viktor and Yuuri in this chapter is nsfw. The pov switches go back and forth from Viktor and Yuuri to Minami and Yuri each time to make it easier to skip. Each section is divided with a - as usual and for a secondary heads up the chapter starts out with MInami and Yuri before switching to Yuuri and Viktor.

Minami knew that he was probably being too impulsive. He knew he was being reckless, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. As he nearly threw the skates on the counter and took off, he didn’t even notice that his eyes were burning from tears. When he got outside, he looked both ways and took off sprinting. After having warmed up skating, the exertion felt amazing. Minami was fast and he knew getting some ground between him and Yuri would be no problem.

Minami just needed to get out of there. He needed space and calm and freedom. As he ran he slowly realized what he had been feeling. He felt trapped. Here in Russia, without Yuuri and clearly upsetting Yuri by being seen with him, it felt like Minami was backed into a corner. Fight or flight was kicking in and apparently, he picked flight considering he had to be over a mile away easily by now.

Minami had run away because he was afraid. Not because he was mad. As he wrapped his mind around the idea more, he slowed down, guilt shooting through him. He had just ditched Yuri. Sure, his phone wasn’t going off and he didn’t feel any forceful pulling on the soul connection, but that didn’t make what he did any better. By now he was barely jogging even and after a few more steps he stumbled. Minami didn’t even bother catching himself, merely letting his knees hit the pavement and his hands catch his fall. The area he was in seemed to be deserted old apartment buildings with no one else in sight so he didn’t move to get up. His palms and knees both hurt. It only took a slight wiggling of his fingers to realize that he was bleeding. Great.

Minami clenched his hands into fists and reached out with the soul connection, _“Yuri? Are you there?”_ He knew it was a bit pathetic to use the soul connection to apologize but he wanted to clear this up nonetheless.

-

Viktor smiled tiredly over at Yuuri, who was lying next to him in bed, trying to stay awake. Yuuri had nearly a complete layer of dried body fluids on him, blood from his neck, cum from both of them, and sweat just about everywhere else. It was gross to a degree but Yuuri had a dazed smile on his face. Yuuri’s eyes kept trying to flutter closed but he shot them weakly back open every time.

“You can sleep you know, you’ve got to be exhausted.” Viktor said, reaching over and brushing some of Yuuri’s hair out of his face, “I’m not going anywhere.” He said reassuringly, moving his hand back and relaxing on his arms, intending to enjoy watching Yuuri sleep for a bit before trying to clean them both up.

Yuuri growled weakly and looked over at Viktor with the sleepiest glare imaginable. “Can’t. Just have t` get a `ittle bit more energy.” Yuuri said as he failed miserably at pushing himself up. He was clearly at his limit though. Viktor, even through the dulled connection, could tell Yuuri was only awake because he somehow was managing to bring himself back to consciousness after seeming to fall asleep a few times. “I don’t want to waste time.” Yuuri grumbled out stubbornly, forcing Viktor to focus back on him. Yuuri had been able to tell that Viktor had gotten distracted for a few moments, and it nearly made his blood boil since he couldn’t tell what else Viktor was thinking about.

Viktor’s eyes widened and he gave an apologetic smile. Yuuri’s frustration was all over his face and Viktor really felt like accidentally picking a fight at the moment was probably one of the worst things he could do. “How about this, you get some sleep, and while you’re sleeping I’ll get things a little neater and get you some food and water.” Viktor paused, amused and more than a bit surprised that Yuuri’s expression hadn’t changed at the suggestion. He had to go a different direction then with his convincing, “I’m sorry dear, but I have to admit, I’m exhausted. You’ve worn me out more than I’ve been in centuries.” It was true. Aside from the times he had fallen asleep from proximity to Yuuri sleeping, this was probably one of the most tired times Viktor could recall, at least physically.

That worked. Yuuri’s expression immediately softened into a sleepy smile, “ _Sorry, I didn’t mean to wear you out so much.”_ Yuuri mumbled in Japanese, too tired to remember to stick to English. Within a minute after that Yuuri was sound asleep, all resistance leaving his body at the thought of resting for Viktor’s sake.

-

Yuri froze when he heard Minami call out to him through the soul connection. Honestly, Yuri had been debating finding one of the local witches and seeing if any of them had a soulmate finder spell. Sure, it would be more than excessive, but the amount of danger Minami could get in while distracted was honestly limitless. Vampires didn’t need much provoking to get into a bloodbath with a werewolf in general. Even if a bloodbath would make it much easier to find Minami, Yuri had no intention of waiting to see if that would happen to help him find Minami. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be something Yuri had to worry about anymore. “I’m here, I’m here.” Yuri responded as he pulled stopped in an alley to avoid the foot traffic getting annoyed with his mumbling and so he wouldn’t have to walk and talk at the same time. Besides, there wasn’t a soul alive that could give Yuri too much trouble even in an alley.

Minami’s voice was almost quiet through the connection, which was odd and, under any other circumstances, funny. The soul connection had an easy constant volume, no straining for hearing needed regardless of distance. The only reason it would be quieter would be if the speaker was essentially whispering their thoughts into it. Minami’s soft words took a bit of concentration for Yuri to understand but he managed to regardless, _“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out like that. It just-I just… I don’t want to make excuses so, I guess I should just say that I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved like that.”_ Minami’s voice, upon proper listening, was clearly guilt filled.

Yuri ran his hand through his hair, frustration and anxiety leaving him and in their places, regret crept in. Minami was a reasonable person. Hell, Minami was the one _crying_ earlier, he shouldn’t be the one apologizing. Okay, maybe running off was something to apologize for, but Yuri had a literal direct connection to Minami’s feelings, he should have noticed something sooner. “No, no don’t apologize, I was too focused on other things and didn’t think about you. That’s my fault. And… it’s not excuses. You didn’t intentionally do anything to hurt me and you didn’t do anything that _did_ hurt me. The reasons why you do something are important to me. Your feelings are important to me.” Yuri’s cheeks burned with embarrassment at his own words, but it was true. Besides, what was his pride compared to Minami’s pain?

There was silence for a few moments on Minami’s end, as though he was mulling over Yuri’s words. He was letting nearly no emotions slip through so Yuri could only wait with baited breath until Minami continued, _“I just felt like you didn’t want to be there with me... and I felt trapped.”_ Minami admitted, words feeling restrained if nothing else.

Yuri blinked, stunned, he could easily, unfortunately, understand why Minami might be feeling like Yuri hadn’t wanted to be there with him, but feeling trapped? That wasn’t something Yuri had been expecting in the slightest. He tried to wrap his mind around the notion. It would explain why Minami had run away. Minami had never struck Yuri as the type to not have a verbal fight and run away instead. But, since Minami would, hopefully, not want to fight him, it made sense for him to just take the flight reaction of the fight or flight concept. Upon realizing he had been quiet for too long, Yuri hurried to respond, “You felt trapped? Why?” As soon as he said the words into the connection Yuri wanted to punch himself. The phrasing made him seemed too surprised, as though he sincerely doubted that Minami actually felt trapped.

Consequently, and unsurprisingly, Minami hesitated for a few moments before he responded, unfortunately for him, Yuri had stopped listening. Standing at the entrance of the alley was Georgi and Mila. Mila looked alarmed while Georgi looked amused. Yuri hadn’t seen Georgi since before the war ended and admittedly, he looked near about the same. Except, surprisingly, a little happier. Georgi was only a few decades older than Yuri and unfortunately, he had already met and lost his soulmate. Georgi had the misfortunate of his soulmate being a sickly human girl. After a few years of knowing each other, she died young.

Yuri had only met Georgi a few months before his soulmate’s death. The change in the man was something Yuri prayed he’d never have to see again. Thankfully, over the most recent years, over a century since the girl’s passing, Georgi was starting to go back to what Yuri had been told was his old normal. Still though, whenever Yuri saw Georgi he always remembered to go a bit easy on the man. Regardless, Yuri had been in the middle of a conversation. Georgi and Mila were not appreciated at the moment.

-

Viktor smiled to himself, pleased with how much cleaner the room was looking now that he had some time to clean things. Of course, there was only so much he could clean off Yuuri’s skin with a wet rag but it was better than nothing. Viktor had miraculously managed to replace some of the bed sheets without waking Yuuri and gotten a quick shower in himself. He knew Yuuri wouldn’t be overly thrilled that Viktor was clean, but at least if he wanted, Yuuri could mess him up all over again. Besides, at least Viktor left his own clothes off, which if he had put any on he was mildly certain that Yuuri would tear them off.

In all honesty though, Yuuri’s limitless energy was like nothing Viktor had ever experienced. It made Viktor a tad guilty to think about but it was true. Elves were high energy for short periods before crashing after one round. Vampires were harsh and fast, since most of the time both participants were only making do with the other in place of their soulmate. Spirits and mages were similar in the sense that they preferred longer more drawn out encounters. Humans preferred fast and, in their inaccurate opinion, rough. Most vampires were considered nothing short of gods when it came to sex. Vampires so rarely had human soulmate’s or even taken one to bed once that there were very few stories on how it felt to a human. The rarity only increased the desire to experience it for themselves.

Yuuri though, was a class of his own. But It was unsurprising to Viktor; Yuuri was special. He was Viktor’s one and only soulmate. The man who would have Viktor’s heart for the rest of eternity. Viktor had heard of vampires taking lovers after the passing of their soulmate, regardless of how many years they had spent together, and Viktor knew for a fact he would not be like them. No one else would ever compare or come after Yuuri. Yuuri’s scent and blood and passion and love all mixed together made an experience that even the most foolish soul wouldn’t believe could be replicated with anyone else.

Viktor felt his heart skip a beat when he realized that, regardless of how amazing things had been going, they could still be even _better._ Obviously, not now since they had agreed to not doing so, but being genuinely inside Yuuri rather than just his mouth would be on another level. Viktor had been walking towards the bed with a water bottle and some chips in hand, intending to wake up Yuuri, but he stopped himself, indulging in toying with the scene that might happen someday.

Slowly being able to make love to Yuuri properly. Kissing him tenderly and making sure that all Yuuri could think of is how loved he was. Viktor would go slow, memorizing the moment and making sure that Yuuri would know just how precious he was.

On the bed Yuuri groaned and stretched, slowly coming to. The sudden change of the nature from Viktor’s side of the soul connection waking him from his sleep. Tiredly he blinked at Viktor and smiled slightly, taking in the sight. Viktor was breath-taking after all. Lean muscle, pale skin and eyes that stole Yuuri’s breath away if he was being honest. And fuck, if Yuuri wasn’t going to be honest during his heat, when would he be?

Viktor blushed as he realized Yuuri was awake and eyeing him up and down. Viktor knew the odds that he had been leaking his thoughts into the connection and therefore waking Yuuri up were embarrassingly high. Viktor seemed to be rooted where he stood as Yuuri slowly got up, walked the few steps over, kneeled in front of Viktor, and looked up at him through his eyelashes. “Y-yuuri, you should eat something, you need food.” Viktor said despite himself.

Yuuri blinked slowly, licked his lips and looked up at Viktor, parting his lips slightly, “I am hungry, will you feed me?” He whispered quietly before leaning forward and slowly licking up Viktor’s quickly hardening cock. “I’m so hungry, Viktor. I need something hot inside me.” Yuuri whimpered, licking at Viktor’s cock again teasingly. As much as he wanted to just get Viktor inside of him as fast as possible, it meant little if Viktor wasn’t as eager as he was. Viktor is what made this important and better. No one else was worth Yuuri’s time.

Viktor sucked in a sharp breath, out of the corner of his eye he could the glistening of slick between Yuuri’s legs. It had to be fresh because Viktor had just cleaned up. Yuuri getting as turned on as he was from just the _thought_ of sucking Viktor’s dick shattered the minimal self-restraint Viktor had left. Viktor quickly set aside the water bottle and the chips before threading some of his fingers into Yuuri’s hair.

Yuuri shivered at Viktor’s action. He wanted Viktor to lose himself in him. Even if he couldn’t have Viktor’s cock exactly where he wanted it, having it in his mouth was still enticing. Yuuri’s heart raced as he stared up at Viktor with doe eyes, parting his lips more and licking them slightly, glancing down at Viktor’s cock for a moment, eager for what was surely coming.

“Well, if you’re hungry, then you’re in luck. I just so happen to have something you might like.” Viktor murmured, his voice husky with lust. He moved Yuuri’s head closer to his cock and used his other hand to place the head so it was resting on Yuuri’s lips. “Eat up, there’s plenty to enjoy.”

Yuuri needed no further encouragement as he opened his mouth wide and slowly licked the head, whimpering as he did so. Yuuri had been planning to say something clever back but the feeling of Viktor’s hot and heavy dick in his mouth whipped it from his mind. Yuuri slowly got closer and closer to the base, carefully taking Viktor deeper. Last time, Yuuri hadn’t been able to test how much he could take. This time, he’d be damned if he didn’t get to find out.

Viktor’s pupils were blown wide as he watched Yuuri take more and more of him inside his mouth. Viktor knew he hadn’t let Yuuri try too much before, and it seemed Yuuri was determined to take as much as he could now. Viktor knew he was large, there was no way Yuuri could fit him inside his mouth without gagging. Yuuri certainly had a gag reflex after all. Hell, there was a legend that wolves would spit up poison because their gag reflex could sense the malice in it. So, it had to be impossible for Yuuri, or at least that was what Viktor thought until he saw Yuuri sink the last inch into his mouth, lips securely around Viktor’s base.

Yuuri was more than pleased with himself, he had managed to fit Viktor entirely in his mouth with no practice. Very impressive. Not to mention Viktor looked like he just had his mind blown. With a small smirk, Yuuri pulled back an inch or so and quickly pushed back down. He looked up at Viktor, making firm eye contact, silently demanding the other look him in the eyes, and swallowed heavily around Viktor’s cock. That was all it took apparently as Viktor gasped, arching forward and clutching Yuuri’s hair for dear life. Yuuri moaned around Viktor’s cock as his mouth and throat were flooded with thick, hot cum. Viktor stayed pressed flush to Yuuri’s lips as he emptied his load into Yuuri. Yuuri moaned happily as he swallowed some.

When Viktor carefully pulled his cock out of Yuuri’s mouth, Yuuri kept his lips sealed tightly around him until he popped out, leaving Viktor’s dick essentially clean of cum. Viktor’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Yuuri, who had a very pleased smirk on his face, some cum dripping from his lips. Yuuri was the picture of temptation.

-

Minami blinked rapidly, thrown off guard from Yuri’s lack of response. After a moment or two of trying to feel the connection Minami realized, to his slight horror, that Yuri wasn’t there. Taking a few deep breaths Minami forced himself calmer. Sure, they were having an important conversation, but that didn’t mean the outside world stopped existing during it. Something simple must have happened, nothing to stress about.

Carefully Minami pushed himself back to his feet and clenched his hands a few times, testing out the feeling. They wouldn’t be cut up too long, sure the cuts were worse than he would have liked, but they certainly weren’t bad enough that they’d scar. Give them a few hours and they’d probably be gone thankfully. His knees were sore though and despite the minimal cuts that were probably there they were certainly going to bruise. Bruises always seemed to take less priority to his body’s healing system then cuts so they would probably stick for at least a day. Lovely.

Minami stretched and looked around, trying to decide if he should go back or stay put to avoid getting lost even more. A few streets back he recalled seeing a convenience store. That should have some medical supplies. Bleeding in the open air in a vampire city was a bad enough idea that Minami knew he had to risk anything that could happen for the sake of covering up his cuts. Worst case scenario, Minami supposed he could tear up part of his shirt for makeshift bandages.

After a few moments of walking, Minami, thankfully, found himself sliding into the store. It felt like every convenience store he had been to, which is to say, it felt like a home away from home. Carefully, he walked around the aisles, ignoring the glare the cashier was sending his way. Eventually he found what appeared to be some disinfectant and bandages and even some food that would work for a good snack. Gingerly Minami carried the supplies to the checkout and set them down, paying close attention not to get any of the sticky dried blood from his palms on it. The cashier looked him up and down as she rang him up, eyeing him with suspicion.

Minami offered a weak smile and tried in his most casually nervous voice, “Do you speak English?” All the products in the store had been in Russian. Not even when the package gave a description in another language did it have English on it, so Minami feared the worst. Sure, he could pay regardless, but that didn’t mean that being able to talk to her wouldn’t help.

She rose one of her eyebrows and nodded, “I do, you’re quite far away from your pack to be here.” She responded. Her accent was apparent but it wasn’t quite Russian in nature, something Minami couldn’t quite pinpoint but he smiled regardless and took a small breath, confirming what he suspected from her voice. She wasn’t a vampire. Thank god.

Minami nodded as he handed her the money the total came to, “I am, but I can’t ignore orders.” When the women shot him a disbelieving look, Minami quickly elaborated, “Katsuki himself sent me here to iron out some peace terms. But I seem to have gotten lost.” Minami cringed internally at the name drop and the slight twist of why he was here. Even in a foreign country, to a woman who had to be some type of mage, the name Katsuki had power and he Minami needed to use it to keep things from getting too awkward.

The woman’s eyes lit up as she handed Minami his change and receipt quickly before grabbing something out of her pocket and holding it out to him, rushing her words out quickly, “Please, if you could give Mr. Katsuki this card next time you see him? It would be an honor. I’m a member of the Saint Petersburg branch of the of the Mages for Higher Magic. We study all species and since the, um, passing of the late Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki, communications with wolves have been limited when it comes to proper studies. Since we work with vampires and elves, it seems we’ve fallen out of favor with your pack and it would mean the world to me if you could please suggest him talking to us.”

Minami blinked rapidly and looked down at what she was holding out to him, a business card it seemed. Slowly he took it, “What’s a member of a research group of mages doing working at a convenience store in the heart of Russia? Not to mention I thought plenty of wolves still did donate blood and such for research even despite your organization’s involvement with vampires. I’ve even heard about you guys, so, I guess what I’m trying to say is, are you sure no one has been selling you samples?” If Minami hadn’t been close friends with Yuuri and didn’t know for a fact Yuuri would want more information if Minami told him about this, Minami wouldn’t have bothered asking. Yuuri had plenty of more important things on his plate then getting some pack members to essentially sell their blood and time for research.

The woman blushed, looking embarrassed, “Well, I was needed to aide in a more magic intensive experiment, but it’s such a minor study that it couldn’t pay enough to live on. So, I got a part time job to cover the in between things.” She paused, looking away, “One of our members were accused of attempting to pay someone to get a sample of any kind from Mr. Katsuki, the current pack leader, and since then we’ve been avoided.” Quickly she looked back up at Minami, a startling determination in her eyes, “We would never though. He was a child and no one would ever conduct research on a child without both the child’s and their guardian’s explicit permission. We could never prove who started such an outlandish rumor though.”

Minami blinked, it was a lot to take in. He remembered that incident well. Fuck, he was _there_ when the supposed paid hand tried to get at Yuuri. It had scared everyone half to death. But this woman was so passionate about it that she had to be personally connected or concerned with the issue. And despite how Minami was tempted to shut her down right there for the fact that it was her organization that was suspected to be behind it, he couldn’t do it. She was passionate about this and he couldn’t sense any malice in her words. Not to mention she was being properly respectful of Yuuri’s position by referring to him as Mr. Katsuki and not just Katsuki or his pack leader. Minami took the bag off the counter and slid the card into his pocket before looking up and giving the woman a small smile, “I’ll pass the message on to re-evaluate the pack’s stance on your organization and I’ll give Mr. Katsuki the card. Things are busy, but I’ll do my best to get him to consider it. Have a nice day, I really have to get going.” Minami said as he turned and started walking towards the door.

The woman looked immensely relieved and excited, “Thank you very much, have a nice day, Mr.- oh I never got your name, I’m so sorry.” She said, looking sheepish, realizing she could have just said sir.

Minami was halfway to the door by this point, so he turned back and offered her a smile, “Minami Kenjirou.” He said before slipping out of the store and back down the sidewalk. He didn’t want to stick around to find out if she had heard of him, he was well known after all. He needed to take care of the blood and see if Yuri would respond again, not get distracted about some random research group.

Within a few minutes Minami had found a small park that would do for now. A few more minutes, and some glares in the bathroom from some very grumpy vampires and his palms were cleaned and wrapped along with his knees, even though his knees were admittedly much harder to do in one of the bathroom stalls since his pants didn’t provide easy access to them after all. Regardless he was clean and much better off.

As Minami walked towards the entrance of the park, he reached out for Yuri in the soul connection again. Pushing and pulling for anything provided nothing and an uneasy feeling settled in his chest. It had been at least half an hour since he had heard from Yuri. Not to mention Yuri had to have been distracted when they spoke, what if something happened? What if Yuri was unconscious? What if he was hurt? What if he had gotten kidnapped? What if something worse had happened?!

Minami eased his panic as he remembered to be rational. Assuming the worst-case scenario, if he could just find Yuri, there would be nothing he couldn’t handle. So, Minami just had to find him. Easier said than done. Desperately, he tried calling Yuri to no avail. So, soul connection and modern tech weren’t helping. That left one option, using some of his werewolf senses.

Minami frowned, running a hand through his hair as he thought it over. There was supposedly an old wolf technique for finding someone but he had never tried it himself. Not to mention that it was something only the pack leader could pull off normally. But he had watched Yuuri do it countless times.

It would be risky, but the fear of Yuri’s safety was enough to try it. Yuuri had described it once as surrendering yourself to your instincts. The instincts that were inherent as werewolves could be used to heighten senses that most weren’t consciously aware of to find someone they were looking for. Yuuri had mostly used it for finding him in a battlefield or for finding an injured or missing pack member. The danger was that giving into instincts made control nearly impossible since it was on reflex alone.

After a split second of weighing the risks, Minami decided he would go for it. Slowly he relaxed his muscles and took a few steady breaths, calming his nerves as best he could. Yuuri had described it as a powerful force taking over your body and then nearly no clear decisions until the target was found. Yuuri had always said it was challenging to get into the proper mindset to let go to instincts but Minami was finding it easy.

All he needed to do was find Yuri. Protect Yuri. Make sure Yuri was okay… with the last thought trailing off Minami snapped into the right mindset. His eyes darkened and he bolted. He was going faster than his pace from earlier. His mind was homed in on finding Yuri. He dashed down the street, before getting frustrated by the other pedestrians and within a few quick jumps made it to the rooftops. Normally he would consider it excessive to go to such lengths but not now. Right now, he honestly couldn't care less.

The buildings and surroundings were all blurs as he dashed from roof to roof, never missing a step or slowing down as he went. He was going to find Yuri. End of story.

-

Viktor desperately gripped the sheets as he eyed Yuuri hungrily. Currently, Viktor was lying propped up on his back as he watched Yuuri who was bent over and kneeling on top of him, facing away. It gave Viktor the perfect view of watching Yuuri stretch and toy with his hole, just for Viktor. Viktor had long since given up trying to get Yuuri to stop doing things for only Viktor’s pleasure, because Yuuri was not taking no for an answer.

“Viktor, please touch me. I’m so stretched and wet for you, you could slip right in. I want you inside me so badly Viktor, just a tiny bit and I’d cum. I could ride you or you could fuck me as hard as you wanted.” Yuuri said, throwing a look over his shoulder begging Viktor with his most desperate look he could manage.

Viktor bit his lip, his self-control wearing thin. “You’re going to need some more of that medicine at this rate…” But, on the other hand, Yuuri was literally _begging_ him for it and fuck if Viktor didn’t want to give it to him. Hell, he wanted to fuck Yuuri more than he wanted to ever taste blood again. Slowly, Viktor lifted one of his hands and placed it on Yuuri’s hip and pulled it back, slowly moving towards Yuuri’s plump ass and squeezing it appreciatively. What Viktor wouldn’t give to give Yuuri what he wanted. Well, the was obvious. Viktor wouldn’t give up the budding relationship he had with Yuuri for a moment or, at best, a few days of pleasure. The wheels in Viktor’s mind started spinning as fast as they could before he settled on an idea. Carefully he moved both of his hands to Yuuri’s hips and pulled him back, causing Yuuri to squeak in surprise.

Yuuri was thoroughly confused even as Viktor’s nose nudged Yuuri’s fingers away. Yuuri moved his hand to help hold up his weight as he looked back at Viktor confused until he felt it. Viktor’s tongue slowly licking his dripping hole. Yuuri couldn’t help the whimper that escaped his mouth as he got lost in the feeling of Viktor’s tongue.

Viktor was more than eager to explore Yuuri’s unique anatomy with his mouth, pleased beyond belief that Yuuri’s side of the connection had completely turned to white noise as his mind went blank from pleasure. Yuuri was dripping wet and Viktor couldn’t get enough. Viktor hadn’t had the opportunity to taste Yuuri like this. The smell was intoxicating in such a way that Viktor had a feeling it was Yuuri’s pheromones controlling the mood. There was no way that anyone could be this addicting without the help of a chemical. Not that Viktor was complaining. Viktor’s tongue slowly traced the opening of Yuuri’s hole and he smirked as he could see Yuuri tremble above him.

Without any further warning Viktor slid his tongue into Yuuri’s entrance, moaning softly as he did so. Despite how it was just Viktor’s tongue inside of him, it didn’t take much imagination to picture his dick inside Yuuri instead of his tongue. Pressing his mouth flush with Yuuri’s entrance and getting as much of his tongue inside as possible Viktor groaned. Yuuri was delicious.

Yuuri’s arms were trembling beneath him as he fought to keep himself up. This entire time Yuuri had been desperate for something more substantial than fingers inside him but he was hardly prepared for handling anything else. That is to say, he was immediately teetering on the edge of an orgasm from just Viktor getting his tongue fully into Yuuri’s hole.

Viktor’s hand slowly slid from Yuuri’s hip to his leaking cock. The moment his fingers brushed his member though, Yuuri cried out in pleasure as he came. His body tensed and he threw his head back, lost in the sensation. Cum splattered Viktor’s abs and his chest as he orgasmed. It was intense and a second after it was over, Yuuri’s arms buckled and he could barely move, his legs still trembling with post orgasm pleasure as he rode out the aftershocks.

Viktor pulled his head away and pridefully examined Yuuri’s state on top of him. Viktor would be lying if he said it didn’t do something for his ego to have Yuuri orgasm so intensely from his actions. After waiting a few minutes for Yuuri to recover Viktor spoke up, slowly wiggling his hips, “I’m afraid you’re still on top of me, my dear. I can’t move.”

Yuuri silently rolled off Viktor, too tired to protest much. He would get another burst of energy any moment now but he didn’t have it yet. As he moved off Viktor though, he took notice of Viktor’s rock-hard cock still. Yuuri didn’t even bother hiding the way he hungrily eyed it, “Let me help you.” He said, reaching out carefully to stroke Viktor.

Viktor’s eyebrows shot up, surprised. That was Yuuri’s third orgasm since waking up from his barely two-hour nap. How Yuuri kept going was beyond Viktor. But honestly, with Yuuri’s hand around him Viktor could not find it in him to complain.

Yuuri forced himself to focus on moving his hand up and down before yawning tiredly, clearly at the end of his energy. “Viktor, move here, I have an idea.” Yuuri said, knowing he didn’t have the proper amount of energy to give a good enough hand job to have a prayer of getting Viktor properly off.

Viktor blinked, surprised and did as Yuuri bid, moving cautiously so that he was kneeling between Yuuri’s legs. “Yuuri, you know I’m not going to put it…” Viktor trailed off as Yuuri waved his hand, too tired to bother arguing or pointing out he knew that. At this point he was exhausted enough that the desperate edge in his actions were gone. He wanted to pleasure Viktor properly with his body anyway he could. Even if that meant not having Viktor inside him for whatever reason.

Yuuri turned himself over and moved so that his knees were on the bed pushed together and he was bent at his waist so that his shoulders and face was pressed into the bed. He turned his head so he could talk over his shoulder to Viktor. “Fuck between my thighs, it’ll still feel good, right?”

Viktor swallowed thickly. Yuuri’s thighs were coated with slick and he knew it would feel good. But Viktor would be so _close_ to Yuuri’s entrance. It would take so much self-control not to do anything. The temptation was too strong though to turn down the offer just out of fear of a slip in self-control. With no further hesitation, Viktor kneeled on his knees and carefully guided his cock between Yuuri’s thighs. Once he was sure that moving wasn’t going to accidentally end with him inside Yuuri’s hole Viktor started slowly moving back and forth, moaning at the feeling.

Yuuri had put on a slight amount of fat on his thighs but the muscles that were so defined a few short months ago were there underneath the layer of fat. It provided with the amazing sensation of soft mixed with firm sides that made thrusting between Yuuri’s thighs near as good as Yuuri’s mouth. Viktor moaned loudly as he picked up his pace, using his hands to grasp Yuuri’s hips to pull him back to meet Viktor’s thrusts.

Viktor couldn’t help the low growl in his throat as he felt his cock brush up against Yuuri’s quickly hardening dick. Just having his thighs fucked was turning him on. Moving one of his hands off of Yuuri’s hip, Viktor raised it to Yuuri’s shoulder and pulled him back. It forced Yuuri into a kneeling position like Viktor’s. It had Yuuri’s shoulders nearly flush to Viktor’s chest, Yuuri’s neck only inches from Viktor’s mouth. Feeling his mate’s hot breath on his neck was quickly proving too much for Yuuri.

Viktor groaned as he kissed Yuuri’s neck and thrusted between those wonderful thighs. Hungrily he sped up his pace as he nipped at Yuuri’s throat. The urge to bite down getting stronger as he _heard_ Yuuri’s blood pumping and heart racing. Every couple of thrusts Viktor’s cock would graze Yuuri’s and Viktor would moan as Yuuri gasped.

Viktor’s control wore thin though as he focused on keeping his dick from accidentally going into Yuuri. To keep himself grounded, Viktor bit down into Yuuri’s throat at one of the bite marks from earlier. As Yuuri’s blood flooded his mouth, Viktor loudly moaned. One hard last thrust was all that it took to throw Viktor over the edge, cumming hard and splattering ropes of cum on Yuuri’s thighs and the bed sheets. Feeling Viktor’s hot cum pushed Yuuri over the edge as well, having been too close to keep his orgasm held back. Both Viktor and Yuuri getting lost in the pleasure they caused each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks goes out to my beta thelastchappie on tumblr


	20. Sweet Foods and Sweet Words

Georgi sighed as he watched Mila and Yuri bicker. Mila had insisted that there was an emergency and that was why he met up with her today. Turns out she just wanted to complain about Yuri bringing a werewolf into Russia, i.e. hardly an emergency. Especially with it being Minami, obviously it was official business, Viktor wouldn’t have allowed Katsuki’s right hand go to Russia otherwise. Sure, Georgi was a bit curious about why Minami needed to be in Russia without Katsuki, but Georgi couldn’t find it in himself to care. Whenever he saw Viktor again, Viktor would certainly explain it.

It had been surprising when they found Yuri mumbling in an alley by himself. He had clearly been talking to his soulmate, which was an interesting development, but when asked about it Yuri had dodged the question so Georgi let it go. Mila clearly hadn’t realized it and Georgi figured that was how Yuri preferred it. Georgi pitied Yuri’s soulmate for having their conversation cut short.

Mila seemed to be hell bent on chewing Yuri out over bringing Minami to Russia and had somehow gotten Yuri to agree to come with them for a drink at a restaurant. Georgi hadn’t been paying much attention honestly, too lost in his thoughts and content to sip at his cup while watching his friends argue. Yuri was talking to his soulmate in the alley earlier. Georgi was happy for him. Soulmate’s could be the source of immense joy, he just feared that Yuri’s soulmate would be horribly mortal too. And if they were, Georgi intended to insist that Yuri place things on hold and go spend the short precious time they had together. Georgi’s soulmate had delayed telling him of her medical condition and he would never be able to stop mourning the lost time.

“Seriously, what is he thinking? A wolf? In the heart of Russia? It’s a miracle the brat hasn’t gotten himself sliced open and drained already, he shouldn’t be here Yuri. We both know that, I just can’t fathom why you’re pretending that it’s not a big deal.” Mila hissed before taking another sip of her coffee infused drink.

Yuri was clearly on the verge of truly snapping, “Like you care, it’s not that big of a deal and its only for a week or so, I think we can manage to keep him safe for that long.”

“Why do you even want to? He’s not worth it, imagine the look on Katsuki’s face if the brat die-“ Mila stopped mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes towards the door.

The moment the door to the restaurant opened, Yuri’s head snapped around and he was on his feet. He smelled Minami’s blood. Before he could rush to the door though, Minami was in front of him, staring up with pitch black eyes. With no hesitation, Yuri pulled the soul connection open. Minami had been terrified since Yuri hadn’t responded and cut the connection short.  He had apparently tapped into his wolf instincts to find Yuri. Yuri didn’t even know wolves could do something like that to find someone. He’d have to ask more questions about that later.

As the pair stared into each other’s eyes, Minami visibly deflated and relaxed, all his worries being soothed. Minami had half expected himself to be livid when he found Yuri if everything was okay, but all he felt was relief. Yuri was fine and that’s all that mattered. Flared emotions or otherwise, at this moment, Yuri’s eyes were on him and no one else.

Yuri felt the intensity of Minami’s previous emotions through the connection and it held him in place. Minami had been genuinely terrified something had happened. Aside from Minami’s tangible fear, there was something else in the air. The sheer force of Minami’s bubbling strength that was barely restrained. Yuri had no doubt that if he had been in trouble when Minami showed up, Minami would have shredded anyone harming him. Bloodlust wasn’t the best word to describe it, but perhaps pure animalistic instinct was.

At that moment, Yuri realized something. Minami was not simply the lighthearted teen he appeared to be. He had fought in the war. He was a seasoned fighter and a damn good one too. Yuri had been getting to know Minami without any thought about how there was another part of Minami. Minami, was not simply the teen he saw constantly being cheerful and innocent. He was a young adult as well. One that had probably seen comrades die before him and that had suffered alongside Yuuri during the war. Yuuri hadn’t been the only one to bear the burden of the battle mixed with the pangs of the end of his youth. Minami had been right at Yuuri’s side, undoubtedly suffering quietly next to him. Loyal to a fault but always ready to kick into high gear and defend his friend.

Before now, Yuri had been doing exactly what everyone else did. Taking Minami’s emotions at face value and not looking under the surface in the slightest. Of course, the weathered survivor of a war would panic when the soul connection went blank. Yuri had failed to realize this was obviously how Minami would react.

Minami was calming down though and the intensity in the air was dissipating slowly. Yuri was safe. Everything was fine. Yuri stared down at Minami, blinking slowly and rapidly trying to figure out what to do or say, the entire thing leaving him speechless. Yuri’s cheeks heated slightly when he felt the eyes of many in the restaurant on him. Minami shifted uncomfortably and just as the discomfort slipped into the soul connection, Yuri pulled Minami into a tight hug, hiding his face in the teen’s hair. Relationships were weird, but they wouldn’t get better by ignoring the hard parts.

-

After the scene in the restaurant, the four decided it was a good idea to leave. They walked together for a bit before Mila made-up an obviously bullshit excuse to leave. She had clearly been uncomfortable with how obviously Minami and Yuri were lost in their own little world together. As they walked, their shoulders brushed against each other’s occasionally, but whenever it happened neither moved away. Once Mila was gone Georgi decided to break the ice. Keeping secrets from Mila regarding werewolves was fine, but he wasn’t going to let Yuri keep him in the figurative dark.

By this point they had walked into the park and Georgi decided the decreased traffic was the closest they were going to get to privacy. “So, does Viktor and Katsuki know you’re soulmates, or are they too caught up with whatever they’re doing in Japan to have noticed?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yuri deadpanned, casting Georgi a less then amused glare. “We clearly aren’t soulmates, you’re out of your damn mind.” Yuri hissed out.

Georgi chuckled, “Okay, sure, you just like to hold all of your friends’ hands.” Georgi said, rolling his eyes in amusement and glancing down at where Yuri was holding Minami’s hand. It was like neither had noticed it until that moment, and honestly that made it even more adorable.

Yuri scowled and followed Georgi’s eyes before he realized that for who knows how long he had been holding Minami’s hand. “Fuck.” Yuri muttered, trying to ignore the embarrassment and panic that fluttered in his chest, “They know, why, do you have a problem with it?” Yuri hissed out, tightening his grip on Minami’s hand. Sure, Yuri wasn’t eager to tell every vampire he bumped into that Minami was his soulmate, but he’d be damned if he let someone else’s biases dictate his relationship, if the day had taught him anything.

Georgi shook his head quickly, not in panic but rather amusement, “Of course not, I just thought we’d address the obvious. Its not like I’m stupid enough to pick a fight with you two on my own either.” Georgi said, nodding his head in Minami’s direction.

He had seen Minami and Yuuri on the battlefield and he was under no illusion that he stood much of a chance this close to the other. Especially considering Minami was right next to his soulmate? Impossible. Soulmate pairs were avoided during the war, simply because of the monstrous power that wolves tapped into to protect their beloveds. At least Yuri was in terrifyingly strong hands.

“If that’s not the case then why are you…?” Minami trailed off, giving Georgi a questioning look. Minami had no recollection of seeing Georgi on the battlefield as they had never fought one on one. Minami’s eyes were bright with curiosity regarding what Georgi had to say, since he had yet to appear as a threat.

“It’s terribly obvious for one, and for another, of course I would want to meet my dear friend’s soulmate. Especially considering you two seem to have already come to terms with the werewolf and vampire thing.” Georgi explained calmly. Minami was a hard read. He looked more like a puppy now, but the last time Georgi had seen him, he distinctly recalled Minami being mostly covered in blood and breaking bones like glow sticks. It had been one of the bloodiest battles of the war, but the image still stuck.

Yuri smiled slightly as he watched Minami nod, as though that was a good enough response from Georgi. Through the soul connection though, Yuri could easily tell that Minami was still suspicious of Georgi’s motives. “So, you don’t care that Minami’s a werewolf?” Yuri asked, challenge evident in his voice.

Georgi regarded the question for a moment before responding, “Its not so much that I don’t care, just that my being upset will do nothing. I’m not nearly upset enough to cause a fight over it, and after that, what does it matter? He is your soulmate and your relationship with him is hardly my business.” Georgi said calmly, well aware that saying the wrong thing could land him a livid Yuri to deal with. “I’m more concerned with the fall out, werewolves take their pack very seriously and I am unaware of any previous precedents for werewolf-vampire soulmates.” Georgi said, trying to get demonstrate he had no malintent with his concerns.

“There is a precedent and its exile.” Minami said, looking at his and Yuri’s hands. Sure, Yuuri had every intention of making the best out of their situations, but rules were rules. There was no guarantee that both Minami and Yuuri wouldn’t be completely disowned from their pack. Or even that they’d both make it out alive. As one of the two only remaining members of the main family, there were plenty of people that feigned concern over Yuuri. Minako and Celestino were the only two that had really made an impact but doubtlessly someone would suggest killing Yuuri to maintain dignity for werewolves. Minami prayed it wouldn’t come to that and continued talking, noticing how he had accidentally fallen silent with Georgi and Yuri waiting for him to continue, “We are having a summit soon and it’ll be decided then what happens to me.”

Obviously, Minami wouldn’t share anything more specific for security purposes so Georgi turned the information over in his mind. Exile was a fate worse than death in some wolves’ books. It was well known that wolves would never bow or even get too close to vampires in fear that it could lead to exile from the pack or their own family. Georgi never understood werewolf’s logic when it came to that sort of thing but it was hardly his place to voice that now, “I hope it works out favorably then. If you think something bad will happen, I’d be happy to help.”

Yuri’s eyes widened slightly. Of course, Georgi was a part of his family as far as he was concerned, but that hardly meant that he assumed Georgi would lend a hand. Helping in a situation dealing with the inner workings of the wolf pack was dangerous. Werewolves bore grudges like it was going out of style, or at least that was the common belief. “Are you sure? It could be dangerous.” Yuri said with clear surprise in his voice.

Georgi nodded, “Yuri, you’re like a little brother to me. This is your soulmate we’re talking about. I would never belittle how much I care about you by pretending a little danger scares me too much to help.” Georgi said, eyes serious and sparkling with barely contained emotion. Many played hesitant with things until they met their soulmate or even until their soulmate passed, so caution even among naturally immortals was incredibly common. Georgi’s soulmate was dead though. He had nothing left to be cautious for. All that mattered was his family and Georgi knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Yuri died because he played it safe and didn’t lend a hand like a coward.

Yuri’s cheeks flushed and he looked away, embarrassed with having something so sentimental said so straightforwardly and to his face. Plus, in public? In front of Minami or even just someone else who knew him? “Thank you, I might have to take you up on that one.” Yuri managed to murmur out.

-

Hours later Yuri found himself with Minami cuddled up to him underneath the blankets of the bed they were sharing. They were both fresh from separate showers. Minami was playing with Yuri’s hair, eyelids heavy with sleep as he gently started talking, “If Yuuri’s in danger, I’m not going to be able to just watch.” He said quietly. It was scary but a real possibility they needed to address. If Yuuri was in danger Minami would throw himself in the way to protect him.

Yuri nodded, frowning slightly, “I understand. He’s important to you. If something does happen though you are my priority.” He countered easily. He toyed with Minami’s hair, watching Minami carefully. As much as he knew Minami would prefer otherwise, Yuri’s concern for Minami would always win out over any obligation he felt towards Yuuri.

Minami sighed and cuddled closer to Yuri, wrapping his arms around his soulmate and breathing deeply. Having Yuri made danger seem more real somehow. Before it was just the basics. If something bad happened to anyone Minami cared about before everything would be affected, but Yuri’s world was nearly entirely separate from his. If something bad happened to him now, it would hurt Yuri too. It wasn’t just him and Yuuri on the battlefield anymore. “I want to savor the next week together, just in case.” Minami finally said softly.

Yuri froze, his breath stopping as he processed Minami’s words. He hadn’t noticed what Minami was getting at before but it clicked into place with those few words. Minami was worried he might die. Genuinely worried. Yuri tightened his grip to the point of bruising on Minami’s waist unconsciously. “You are not going to die.” He managed to say shakily.

Minami looked up at him, ignoring the pain he felt from Yuri’s grip in favor of giving the conversation his full attention. “I might die. We have to accept that.” Minami pressed. He knew it was a hard conversation to have, but it was true. Ignoring it wouldn’t get them anywhere. Death was a possibility and it had to be properly acknowledged.

Yuri scowled down at Minami, taking in his small frame and his big brown eyes. Yes, earlier Yuri had reminded himself that Minami had seen plenty of battles, but that did not mean that Yuri was going to sit idly by and allow Minami to doubt his chances of surviving the upcoming summit. “I will not let you die. I’ll make sure you live even if it’s the last thing I do.” Yuri growled out, “I didn’t wait two hundred years to let you die in front of me.” Yuri said, ignoring how his voice trembled at the end.

Minami sighed and frowned gently, “That’s what I’m afraid of. I want you to live, even if I don’t.” He said, trying to look confident and calm. It didn’t work of course; his heart was beating heavily away in his chest and his thoughts were clearly racing on the other end of the soul connection.

Yuri stared into Minami’s eyes and the pair fell into a tense silence, both refusing to look away while mentally they both were trying to come up with a better solution. Eventually Yuri let out a slow measured breath before beginning to talk again, “Why don’t we make a plan based on what you think will happen at the summit? We can talk it out over the week and go over all the options and possibilities to figure out the best course of action that would make both of us happy.” Yuri reasoned gently. He heard communication was good for relationships.

Minami blinked a few times before smiling and nodding, “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

-

Days passed slowly but soon enough Yuuri’s heat ended and Minami and Yuri were called back home. When they finally stepped out of the cab in front of the home, Yuri was so tired that he was just letting Minami pull him in whatever direction they needed to go. Somehow Minami’s tiredness was only affecting him and quite frankly Yuri thought that was utter bullshit. Minami was also refusing to tell him why he wasn’t just as tired. Probably nervous energy. Regardless, it felt like they had been away months when they stepped into the large home.

At first it didn’t seem like Yuuri or Viktor had heard them come in, but after a minute or two Yuuri came down the stairs with a small smile on his face, “Welcome home you two.” He said as he walked up to them.

Whatever Minami had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t this. Yuuri’s face was flushed a soft pink and his neck was borderline covered in bitemarks and what wasn’t covered in bite marks was clearly bruised with marks at various stages of healing peppered in between. Minami was at a loss for words and Yuri was caught between being appalled and amazed at how many times Yuuri had apparently let Viktor bite him. Yuri’s grasp on how intense a heat was must be lacking.

“Th-they should heal by the time we go to the summit, if not I’ll cover them better.” Yuuri mumbled, looking away and slightly mortified with himself. When he finally snapped out of his heat completely it had taken all his self-control to remind himself that logic goes out the window during a heat and that it was nothing to be ashamed of. After being reassured by Viktor that they hadn’t gone all the way Yuuri felt significantly better but it was still surreal to him. He couldn’t remember most of the heat even, which was frustrating but expected. His brain was a blur of hormones and emotions. Despite all the embarrassment it caused, Yuuri was glad Viktor had been there. Viktor had kept him safe and respected his wishes. Secretly, Yuuri was glad Viktor was a vampire at least for the sake of getting through his heat. Viktor didn’t cave in the way a werewolf might have in similar circumstances and that meant the world to Yuuri.

After another moment Minami snapped himself out of it, mentally deciding to freak out more later. The decision was so firm that Yuri actually chuckled when he heard it through the soul connection. Minami shot Yuri a glance before fixing his eyes on Yuuri, “Have you been eating enough? And resting? You must feel horrible.”

Yuuri looked away guiltily as he responded, “Viktor’s out getting some food right now, and I feel fine, I’ll sleep when I get tired.” He said, trying to sound confident. It was an obvious lie though. His lips were visibly dry and as his blush faded it was obvious just how pale he was. His heat had taken more out of him then it had the last time, not even factoring the added side effects of the blood loss. Not to say that Yuuri regretted letting Viktor drink his blood, the side effects just hadn’t been as clearly anticipated as otherwise.

Minami frowned and grabbed Yuuri’s hand, leading him towards the kitchen. “You’re going to eat something right now and then go to sleep, you need to be getting your body to have as much time to recover as possible.”

Yuuri let Minami lead him into the kitchen and Yuri silently trailed along, knowing better than to interrupt the pair while they were like this. Once in the kitchen Minami pushed Yuuri into a chair and began buzzing around looking for food. He would be damned if Yuuri wasn’t full by the time he was done.

-

When Viktor came home he was surprised that the house was dead silent. After a moment or two of listening though, he could hear soft breathing as though someone was sleeping. Feeling reassured, he went to the kitchen and started putting away the groceries and chuckled when he saw the absolute whirlwind of mess that had clearly gone through the kitchen. Minami and Yuri were home then. While he put the groceries away he picked up the used dishes and placed them in the sink, figuring that he might as well since he was there. Once everything was tidied Viktor went looking for the source of the breathing.

When he walked into the living room he was greeted with the sight of Yuuri, Minami, and Yuri all asleep and leaning on top of each other on the couch. Minami had fallen asleep leaning against Yuuri and Yuri had fallen asleep leaning against Minami. Yuuri was breathing carefully and the sight of the three of them cuddled up together warmed Viktor’s heart. They really looked at home with each other, like a family.

Yuuri’s eyes fluttered open and despite the alarm at sensing someone nearby when he woke up, the alarm melted into calmness at the realization it was Viktor. A lot of things had still been left unsaid to Viktor since the end of his heat. Mainly reassurance that, even if it was mostly out of his control, Yuuri was still glad Viktor had been there. Viktor being there had offered him comfort Yuuri would have to be a fool to deny. Yuuri smiled sleepily up at Viktor, glad the other was back, but also wishing Viktor was closer so Viktor could be in the cuddle pile too.

-

The following day, Minami had a plan and he had decided he’d be damned if it wasn’t followed. As the four sat down for breakfast, he announced it. “Viktor, Yuuri, you two are going out today. On a date. Yura and I will hold down the fort.” This announcement seemed to take everyone by surprise, Yuuri’s eyes narrowed distrustfully, Yuri nearly snorted his cup of blood, and Viktor froze in place. Minami pretended not to notice and continued serving the day’s breakfast to Yuuri and himself, “Yuuri, you need to relax and get some fresh air, one day off won’t hurt. Besides, the rest will do you good for the summit. Can’t argue with an exhausted mind.”

Being unable to form an adequate response, Yuuri left the demand in the air, realizing with the approving nod Viktor had given Minami, that he would lose this argument.

-

An hour later, Viktor and Yuuri were leaving the house with a long list of the best restaurants in the nearby city, compiled by Minami. Each had been chosen for the food they served being filling and calorie packed. It seemed Minami was determined to have Yuuri put back on some of the weight he lost. Viktor had expressed concern that Yuuri couldn’t possibly be expected to eat all day, that he would get full eventually. Minami had swiftly countered that Viktor had a lot to learn about wolves’ eating patterns if that’s what he thought.

As this was their first outing together since Yuuri’s heat though, the couple was tangibly uncomfortable. Every time they made eye contact, Yuuri found his face flushing and forced himself to look away. Viktor was unsure how to take this, it had been decades since he had any form of company that was shy after doing intimate things together, so his skills in the area were rusty to say the least.

The first challenge presented itself when they got on the subway. As they boarded the train Viktor leaned down and whispered into Yuuri’s ear, “Stay close to me, I’ve heard horrible things that could happen.” Viktor said, looking serious. Yuuri rose an eyebrow but nodded anyway, feeling no need to argue. The train was busy, but not overly so. There was even a seat open next to an older woman and the door, so there would be no fear of getting felt up. Viktor let Yuuri take the seat and stood near him, holding onto the over-head handle.

As they came closer to the city, each stop let on more and more people. To the point where Viktor thanked his lucky stars that he had gotten Yuuri a seat when he did. Everyone was far too close. The people were constantly trying to get just a tiny bit more space for themselves. Viktor couldn’t even fault them for doing so. In such a hot, small train compartment just a tiny amount more space would be heaven.

Yuuri wished he could talk Viktor into switching spots with him, but he knew that was a losing argument. Viktor wanted Yuuri safe and seated, not with his back to half a dozen people all having to bump into him at the same time. A pang of guilt slid into Yuuri’s mind at the realization he was causing Viktor discomfort merely because he was an-

“Yuuri,” Viktor verbally cut him off, making Yuuri question how much was said into the soul connection. Viktor continued, “I only want you to be comfortable because you’re my soulmate. Nothing else factors into my choice of letting you keep the seat while I stand.” Yuuri flushed, stunned and surprised at how fast Viktor realized his train of thought and cut off the apparently useless worry.

-

The first restaurant they found themselves in was a small café advertising world famous pancakes. When they walked in they were greeted by a young woman, dressed in a normal serving uniform. At a glance she appeared average but upon further inspection, it was obvious something was off. She was a form of mage.

Mages were growing in numbers these days. Magic that mages used was an inherent kind that was usually only found in humans. It tended to stick to being passed down through blood but it could also skip generations or appear out of seemingly nowhere. The increase in numbers as of late wasn’t due to the growing population or a repopulation attempt. It was because in recent years there had been a few standout mages that made breakthroughs regarding magic.

Previously, the presence of magic had to make itself known for an individual to notice they had any. But a few students in London recently had discovered that certain magic based plants reacted to magic even from individuals unaware of it themselves. This allowed more potential mages to become trained and learn how to harness their powers.

Mages though, had to train their abilities a substantial amount for it to be tangible, which is what caught Viktor by surprise. With so much training, few settled into meager serving jobs. The young woman must have noticed Viktor’s perplexed look as she giggled and led them to a table, looking pleased with herself as she handed them each a menu, “ _Please take your time_ ,” She said in Japanese before walking off.

Viktor frowned at the odd interior. Each table had a bowl shape dip in the center of the table. There were no decorations aside from minimalistic tan circles painted onto the walls and the entire building smelled of syrup. Realizing he should look at the menu, Viktor opened his and his mouth contorted into a frown. On the front interior side there was a short list of flavors and possible add-ins. Straightforward enough. On the other interior cover there were simply pictures of pale clay sculptures in various shapes. The menu was decorated with calming tans and small emoticons seemingly doodled on the sides.

“Uh, Yuuri, do you have any idea what these pictures mean?” Viktor whispered quietly. The most eerie thing about the restaurant was that they were the only ones inside aside from the staff. Sure, it made sense since it was so early on a weekday, but it still caused Viktor to feel like they were being watched.

Yuuri looked up from his menu and had on a, visibly strained, small smile as he whispered back, “I have absolutely no idea.” The weird tables hadn’t escaped Yuuri’s notice either, but he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise from the eyes on them so he decided not to verbally comment.

When the waitress came back, Yuuri ordered a cup of blood for Viktor and a cup of milk for himself before randomly pointing to one of the tiny sculpture pictures and ordering that one. Yuuri thought it might have been a sculpture of a poodle but he wasn’t sure from the lighting. The waitress happily took the order and left once again, bringing out their drinks a few moments later.

The waitress seemed to have nearly turned immediately back around once she returned to the kitchen after giving them their drinks because before they even both took their first sips she returned. In her hands she was holding a tray with many of the traditionally pancake add-ons. Syrup, fruit, butter, powdered sugar, the works. Also on the tray though was two large metal bowls of equal size. They looked like they would be the perfect size to fit into the indentation on the table. One of the bowls was filled with what had to be uncooked batter while the other one was empty.

The waitress easily slid the bowl filled with batter into the indentation on the table, not spilling a drop of it. Then she covered the bowl with the empty one, making an egg shape. She pulled on a bright smile and looked at both Viktor and Yuuri, tapping on the bowl egg as she did so, “ _Abra, kadabra, alakazam! Breakfast is served!”_ She said in cheery Japanese. As she said served though she removed the top bowl to reveal that the contents of the bottom bowl had changed. While it was hidden from view, the batter changed shape and cooked.

The resulting product resembled one of the pale sculptures in the menu, that must have been made from pancakes and not clay as previously thought. The batter seamlessly reshaped into the form of a fluffy poodle, looking as though it was made from pale clouds. There were darkened spots for the eyes and in places where shadows should be. It looked so fluffy that it looked in danger of being blown away with a gust of wind had the resulting product not been so large. It was easily over a foot tall, having expanded into where the second bowl was covering. The presence of a mage made sense now. The food was literally magic.

-

The day continued in a similar fashion, each place having magically crafted food in unique formats that Yuuri and Viktor could never have guessed at. Elves growing fruit in any and every shape. A water spirit making taiyaki actually swim through the air. At one point they even stopped by a werewolf specialty store that served soups specifically designed to help the body after heats. All the stops would have cost a small fortune to many, but Yuuri hardly batted an eye.

The day eventually started coming to a close as they strolled through a park. They had already eaten and had figured walking a bit would help settle the food. Or rather, Yuuri had eaten and Viktor had suggested they walk around a bit. Viktor wished that Minami had chosen a different date theme. As much fun as it was to see the happy and cute faces Yuuri made at each delicious new food he ate, it didn’t leave a lot of room for talking. Now that there was no food though, Viktor found himself unsure of what to try talking about.

Viktor mentally went through numerous potential topics before giving up. He couldn’t come up with anything really. Sure, there was plenty that could be talked about, plans for the summit, the past, apologies, emotions. But fear clouded each train of thought, asking questions risked getting answers he didn’t want to hear. All Viktor wanted was to get to enjoy the time he and Yuuri shared now, without trying to figure out what it all meant or if it was going to be short lived.

Yuuri must have sensed Viktor’s emotions though because less than a few seconds later he reached out and grabbed Viktor’s hand as they walked. Viktor immediately tensed, but relaxed a few moments later. As Viktor relaxed, Yuuri began to speak, “I know things are crazy right now. But I think if we can just get through this summit, things will be fine. I’ve run the different scenarios plenty of times, and I don’t think there will be too many surprises. Things will be fine after this.” Yuuri said quietly, attempting to reassure Viktor. They weren’t lies either, Yuuri was confident that _if_ they could get through this, things would be fine. If being the key word.

Viktor frowned and tightened his grip on Yuuri’s hand, “And what will be the ‘fine’ after this? Going back to how things were? Living in separate countries? Hating each other? What do you mean by fine?” Viktor managed to say, ignoring the hot angry tears in his eyes, cursing himself for being an angry crier.

Yuuri froze and looked taken aback as he looked at Viktor, not quite believing his own ears. “Viktor, fine could never be like how things were. By fine I mean, less chaos and stress, more focusing on just finding a new normal. Do you really think I don’t care about you enough to want things to be different?” Yuuri said, torn between concern and feeling betrayed at how little Viktor thought of Yuuri’s feelings towards him.

“Maybe, I don’t know. We haven’t talked about this at all Yuuri. How am I supposed to know what you’re planning? It’s not like I can read your mind whenever I want. You have to let me in. Mentally or verbally, I want to hear it directly from you.” Viktor countered, forcing himself to meet Yuuri’s eyes ignoring how tears were sliding down his cheeks. Viktor wanted confirmation, not vague allusions to what the future would hold. He wanted Yuuri to tell him exactly how he felt in no uncertain terms. Yes, Viktor had vague assumptions but they were just that, vague and assumptions. He knew he could be completely wrong on what Yuuri was thinking. To know for certain otherwise, Yuuri needed to tell him.

Yuuri realized this about Viktor in that moment as well. Viktor wasn’t so much doubting his affections, as he was asking for reassurance. Reassurance that Yuuri cared. That the feelings were mutual and not one-sided or based on wishful thinking. That the hopes for the future had tangible merit that could be directly based upon what Yuuri confirmed. Taking all of this in, Yuuri inhaled slowly before beginning to talk, “Viktor. I don’t know what the future may hold exactly, but I do know I want my future to have you in it.” Yuuri pulled Viktor to the side and sat down with him at the edge of a fountain, not breaking eye contact. “I’ve never dated anyone before or been in a romantic relationship, but I do know I care a lot about you. I want to be in your life and get to know you more. I want the fine after this to be a future we create together. I want to slowly get to know each part of you and fall even more in-“ Yuuri’s face flushed but after a moment of hesitation he continued, “And fall even more in love with you. If you’ll have me.” Yuuri said, his eyes pleading for reassurance as well. He hadn’t meant to admit to loving Viktor like this, but the words couldn’t be taken back.

Viktor blinked, surprised and stunned at Yuuri’s words before his face fell into a loving smile, slowly he leaned forward and cupped Yuuri’s cheek with his hand. Yuuri’s skin was smooth to the touch and the gentleness of Viktor’s hand sent chills up Yuuri’s spine. Both could hear Yuuri’s heart beat like a drum as Viktor slowly leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Yuuri’s lips. “Of course I’ll have you.” Viktor gave Yuuri another gentle kiss, “I’m in love with you after all.”


	21. Summit Part 1

In a blink of an eye the summit was upon them. The venue had been chosen to be a small town in one of the less populated western states in America. The town was nestled just inside a forest and to the west of town there were large planes, plenty of room for any form of fighting that might be necessary. Everyone attending was staying in one of the few hotels in the town, some even forced to find a place in the next town over.

The largest hotel in town was owned by the Leroys and thankfully so. Sure, it was weird for people to get a room in a place where they personally knew the owners, but considering at least three hundred wolves were going to show up, the large venue and the conference room space was going to be appreciated, especially considering they weren’t being charged.

The lobby was buzzing with families of wolves that had for some reason or another taken their children with them. The children had posed the most significant problem when sneaking Yuri and Viktor in. They snuck them in over just casually walking in together because there were plenty of racist wolves walking around and surely someone would be bold enough to say something.

They managed to get two rooms across the hall from each other, one for Minami and Yuri and one for Viktor and Yuuri. Initially, Yuri had suggested Minami and Yuuri room together and he with Viktor, but Yuuri out right cut him off, dismissing the idea. At first Yuri didn’t understand why but Minami elbowed him hard enough for him to hold his tongue. Unlike his soulmate, Minami had picked up on the blushing glance Yuuri gave Viktor and decided the less questions asked the better.

The four gathered around in Viktor and Yuuri’s room after checking in to make sure everyone was on the same page. “Run me through this again,” Viktor asked, trying for the third time to commit the schedule to memory.

“Tonight, there is a large banquet so people can catch up. Everyone in town for the summit will be there. Children and spouses included, so me and Mina will go by ourselves.” Yuuri paused, feeling guilty over asking Yuri and Viktor to stay behind but knowing he needed to for their own safety. “If you two were there for it, it could freak people out, some of the more protective wolves wouldn’t like the idea of children and soulmates being around two lethal vampires.”

Minami picked up there, “Tomorrow will be the first day of discussions. You guys should come in with us at least in the beginning, so there’s no question what this whole thing is about. Plus, if it gets dangerous that’s when it’ll happen. Some negative reflexive reactions are to be expected honestly.” Minami frowned, giving Yuri a concerned look. “If anything gets too dangerous too fast in the initial meeting towards Yuuri, I’ll step in first. They would hesitate harming a pack member. If it continues to get worse, you and Viktor can step in. But only if it seems to be getting out of control.” Minami said this to remind himself just as much as remind Yuri that this was what they agreed upon.

“When things settle down, either we’ll be told to leave or, if it goes well, I’ll ask for a recess until tomorrow, to give everyone some time to calm down.” Yuuri finished, rubbing at his necklace nervously. “It’s all going to be fine.” He murmured, hoping he sounded more convincing to everyone else than he did himself.

-

By the time Yuuri and Minami arrived at the banquet, most everyone had shown up. Thankfully, considering the rank of the people present, not many batted an eye at their presence. Not every pack member was present, mainly the influential ones or those connected to influential ones. Meaning unfortunately Yuuko and company weren’t attending the summit. Yuuri smiled softly at the sight of so many people happy and enjoying themselves. Children loudly enjoying the expensive food, parents happily catching up with old friends, elders catching up and teasing their adult children, and family seeing family again. Speaking of family, Yuuri flinched when he saw Mari nearly barreling through the crowd toward him and Minami, dragging a young lady, Mari’s soulmate, behind her.

As soon as he was in reach, Mari let go of her soulmate’s wrist and pulled Yuuri down into a tight hug, pressing his face into her neck. Yuuri flushed bright red and returned the hug, relaxing instantly into his older sister’s smell. He had missed her, truly missed her. Her opinion was probably the only person’s he couldn’t guess. Mari had a healthy respect for tradition. It truly worried him what she’d think when everything came to light. The concerns were hard to remember though with how nice the hug felt, Yuuri could bearly remember the last time he was hugged by Mari like this. Eventually though, Mari pulled away and smiled gently at Yuuri, “You’ve grown so much.”

Yuuri flushed and looked away, embarrassed at being treated like a child, “Well, time does do that to a person. It’s good to see you again.” Yuuri said softly. The last time he had seen her, had been years ago. It had only been a few years but it was still years, during the early part of the war, right after leadership had been handed over to Yuuri. Yuuri supposed if he had been given more time around Mari he might have blamed her for his childhood going as it did, but she was so rarely around that he had never found it in himself to blame her. Blame should be reserved for someone who really did something. Someone who undeniably earned it. Someone that Mari simply wasn’t.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long, you know how things get I can imagine.” Mari said offering an impish smile. Yuuri refrained from arguing that he had absolutely no idea how things could get. Half the time everything seemed to happen so slowly that time barely even crawled on by.

“I understand, Alex, it’s good to see you again.” Yuuri said nodding towards the woman behind Mari. Alex was Mari’s soulmate and they had been happily married for over ten years now. Half the reason for having the summit in America was just so that Mari and Alex could come. Alex was the only non-wolf present but she didn’t stand out too much. Her sandy blonde hair and brown eyes didn’t catch the eye and her clothes were plain since it was an informal event anyway.

Minami nodded at Alex as well in acknowledgement, he wasn’t particularly familiar with Mari or Alex, but it would be too rude to ignore either of them. Alex smiled back in turn as she spoke, “You’ve grown up well Yuuri, I’m glad to see that you’re doing alright.” Alex said, scanning Yuuri up and down. While Mari was laid-back, Alex was precise and calculated. If she was a wolf Yuuri feared she would have smelled his being an omega under the scent erasers he had used. Thankfully she wasn’t and the only thing out of place she seemed to have noticed was a light bruise that had refused to stay hidden with make-up on Yuuri’s neck. It was the only physical evidence left of his heat. Yuuri had been hoping no one would notice but if worse comes to worse a small hickey could easily be explained away for at least one evening. Thank all the heavens that the puncture wounds had healed.

Mari stiffened slightly, her eyes narrowing in on Yuuri’s neck, moving from the bruise and then to his necklace. Alex must have used the soul connection to alert Mari. Mari’s eyes widened as she realized what the necklace might imply. Refusing to get caught up in this discussion so early in the evening, Yuuri spoke, “Well, I’m sure plenty of people will want to talk to me, so I best get going.” Quickly Yuuri and Minami walked away, thankful Mari didn’t stop them.

The next person who made their way over was Jean-Jacques Leroy Sr. The Leroys had a long-standing role as a main family involved in the pack. Leroy Sr. was Leroy Jr.’s grandfather, to keep the names less confusing though, everyone simply referred to Leroy Jr. as JJ. JJ appeared to be preoccupied showing off his fiancé, Isabella, to some of the other pack members so he wasn’t with his grandfather as said grandfather approached Minami and Yuuri, “Yuuri dear boy, it has been far too long.” The older man said, smiling peacefully up at Yuuri.

Yuuri smiled back politely, “Indeed it has, you look well, sir.” He said, knowing that anything less than absolute respect and perfect manners would backfire come tomorrow’s discussions.

“You flatter me, we both know I look older than dirt, no need to sugar coat things for my sake.” Leroy Sr. said with a well-mannered chuckle. He was baiting Yuuri undeniably. It was an easy trap that would relax many but Yuuri wasn’t as naïve as he used to be.

“You barely look a day over four hundred, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Yuuri knew the older man was trying to give him a false sense of security, let his guard down because he was an old man and divulge more information than Yuuri wanted to. While he felt safe among his pack members, Yuuri knew how much the elders liked to gossip, even if by the next day everything would be rendered useless.

Leroy Sr. chuckled, “Sharp, you’re sharp Yuuri. I don’t suppose simply asking you would get me an answer as to what this is all about? Unless this is truly just a dull meeting about why you ended the war?”

“Not a chance, sir. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out. It would be rude for me to show favoritism.” Yuuri said, smiling brightly, clearly joking about the favoritism thing. Leroy Sr. didn’t care for Yuuri and Yuuri didn’t care for him. That’s how things were. Any pretending otherwise would be based purely on manners and status within the pack alone.

Leroy Sr. frowned, displeased with Yuuri’s joke. “I’ll take that as my que to leave then.” He said curtly before walking away without bothering with any other pleasantries. Minami nearly snorted in amusement at how typical of a response that was from an elder but held it in. After all, someone would be bound to hear in a room full of enhanced hearing wolves.

Seeing no one else attempting to beeline over to them, they made their way over to the refreshment table. The food was of course extravagant, the Leroys would consider it an embarrassment otherwise. Platters of meat prepared into small pieces perfect to be eaten in a bite covered most of the table. Lined between the meat platters were platters of fresh bread rolls and cheese. Around the room there appeared to be several similar tables so that everyone wouldn’t have to search at to find refreshments. Yuuri was thankful that no alcohol was being served, the last thing he needed was someone getting drunk.

At the refreshment table though, he noticed some members of another prominent family, the Montoyas. They were prominent but hardly a threat, having made it clear nearly every generation as far back as anyone can remember that the power struggle for pack leader was something they intended to stay out of as much as possible. Judging by the toddler in the woman’s arms it had to be Mateo and Esmerelda, one of the youngest couples in the Montoyas. Yuuri didn’t intend to greet them, as they hadn’t noticed him, but the toddler, Lucero, growled at Minami and threw the plan out the window.

As Esmerelda turned, her eyes widened in horror, unsure if her son growled at Minami or Yuuri. Growling at the pack leader, regardless of age, never ended well. Thankfully, the toddler was glaring at Minami. Minami must have leaned too close to his mother when he reached out to grab something from the table. Werewolf children had a strong tendency to be protective of their mothers if they were going to be an alpha when they were older, so such behavior wasn’t uncommon to see. “I-I…” Esmerelda stuttered, unsure of who her son had just growled at and feeling distressed either way.

Minami smiled reassuringly and made a goofy face at the toddler, causing the boy to scowl at him, “He meant no harm, I just got too close is all.” He looked up at Esmerelda and Mateo hoping to reassure them further by chuckling slightly, “Congratulations by the way, I know we haven’t seen you both in a while.”

The last time Yuuri and Minami’s paths crossed with the Montoyas was when Mateo asked permission to be excused from the war since Esmerelda was pregnant. Yuuri and Minami both had meant to send a congratulations gift for having the baby, but it been forgotten and years had passed, as evident by the baby now being a toddler. “At least we know his vocal cords work,” Yuuri said with a smile, finally getting the couple to relax.

“He’s overprotective of me, it is admittedly adorable.” Esmerelda said with a soft smile, playing with her son’s hair, “Unfortunately he cries frequently if I’m not holding him. I had no idea what people meant when they said babies that will be alphas tend to be overly clingy to their mothers. I thought it was just a superstition. But the other day he nearly bit Mateo.” She said with a small sigh, recalling her son’s antics.

Lucero at this point was sniffing the air and leaning away from his mother towards Yuuri, having picked up on his scent. Panic nearly froze Yuuri, children were better at detecting masked scents. While some attention might be ignored in favor of being the pack leader, too much would give away Yuuri’s status as an omega. After all, omega pack leaders were said to have the most comforting scent possible. There’s no way a child so young would miss it. Yuuri stepped back and made an apologetic face, “I’m sorry I just remembered something we needed to attend to, we’ll have to talk again soon. If you’ll excuse us.” Yuuri said, grabbing Minami’s arm and quickly walking off, hoping there was no panic in his voice.

Once they were a safe distance away, i.e. hard to hear without focusing on their voices specifically, Yuuri let go and sighed, fearing he was too obvious at the source of his discomfort. “Hey, you’re fine, I don’t think they noticed. You are the pack leader, you have plenty to do.” Minami said reassuringly, feeling bad that he hadn’t interfered with the situation sooner.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Yuuri said, calming himself. Minami always made things better, especially considering he knew everything that was going on. It made Yuuri feel a lot safer.

Before Yuuri could properly catch his breath though, he felt thin arms wrap around his waist and pull him back into a near bone crushing hug. The following giggle confirmed it, it was Sara. “Yuuri! You’re too thin, we’re going to have to fatten you up.” Sara said, setting Yuuri down and pinching his side. Sara was one of the few people bold enough to be so familiar and touchy feely with Yuuri in public. They had been friends for years and seeing him again after the war safe and sound was a massive relief to her. If they had lost there would have been a good chance that the vampires would have killed him. Sara didn’t want to think about how hard that would have been to deal with or go through emotionally.

Yuuri squeaked at the pinch and scowled at Sara as he turned around to properly face her. He did not appreciate being treated like such a child so he poked her hard in the side, “I’m the same as I’ve always been, so no thank you. I like my figure the way it is.” It was a blatant lie, Yuuri was significantly thinner than he was during the war, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying to pretend otherwise.

Sara rolled her eyes, “Sure, sure, next you’re going to tell me you’re blond.” Sara teased, glad to see Yuuri’s confused frown. It meant he was relaxing a bit. Sara had been watching him talk to Mari and if he looked any tenser she thought he would snap. “Come on though, Leo and Guang Hong are waiting in their room, I got sent to grab you guys.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in surprise, having not realized how much everyone wanted to talk to them. He sensed the eyes from around the room watching them. They hadn’t even said anything to Celestino, Minako, or JJ yet, or even Sara and Michele’s parents for that matter. “I don’t know… there’s still plenty of people I should talk to.” Yuuri protested weakly.

Sara wasn’t about to settle for a weak no. A weak no was as good as a yes in her book so without hesitation she grabbed Yuuri’s wrist and dragged him from the banquet hall, leaving Minami to laugh hysterically at Yuuri’s dumbfounded expression as he followed. “I can’t wait to get to talk to you guys, Mina refused to tell me what this whole shebang is about so I want all the details. I also want all the details on what you like to eat, because you need to put on some more weight. And a bunch of other things that are slipping my mind right now for some reason.” Sara was nervous rambling. She realized that if they were going to talk in depth about what Yuuri was up to then it would probably come out about Mila being her soulmate. The reaction of her friends probably being the most nerve wracking part.

-

Half an hour later the gang was back together and Yuuri had a massive bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of him curtesy of Leo. Minami had texted Yuuri letting him know that if at any time he wanted an out just to let him know and Minami would create one. Emil and Michele were, thankfully, not there leaving Sara, Minami, Yuuri, Leo, and Guang Hong alone to everyone’s relief. It wasn’t that they disliked the duo it’s just they knew Sara would hesitate to open up more if her twin was there.

The five of them were seated on the floor together with blankets pulled around them and pillows pulled close. Leo’s head was in Guang Hong’s lap, Sara had changed into pajamas and was painting her nails, Minami was letting Yuri know what was up on his phone, and Yuuri had ditched his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his dress shirt to be more comfortable. No one seemed like they knew what to say to start so Leo took the lead, “Let’s start with something simple, you’re thinner Yuuri, are you sick?”

Yuuri tensed and flushed, regretting how easy it was to tell he looked different. He hadn’t eaten enough during his heat and his body was fighting him to keep his weight constant. Minami looked at Yuuri, ready to deflect if necessary but Yuuri shook his head. They were going to find out one way or another, either tonight or tomorrow and he could only imagine how much it would hurt his friend’s not to hear it directly from him. Yuuri braced himself for their reactions as he closed his eyes and finally forced himself to say, “It’s probably because I didn’t eat enough recently. Turns out heats take a lot out of you.”

The silence only lasted a fraction of a second before Guang Hong responded, “Try eating more protein next time, it’ll help. Carbs will sound yummier but you need to force yourself to eat the highest in calorie foods when you can, it’ll do wonders for your body.” Yuuri’s eyes fluttered open and nearly bugged out of his skull with the look of pure shock he gave Guang Hong, who simply smiled peacefully in response. “Last I heard you hadn’t presented yet, I considered it a fifty-fifty between alpha and omega. You’re a good leader but you have a forgiving heart. I can’t really think less of a male omega if I’m one, can I?” He said softly, making Yuuri’s heart melt with affection at how easily Guang Hong accepted him. Leo had been nodding in agreement meaning they were on the same page.

Tentatively, Minami and Yuuri both looked to Sara to gauge her reaction, she rolled her eyes, “Nothing’s different for me. I’ll always care about you and that will never change.” She said, winking at Yuuri, delighted to see the tension melting from his shoulders. A worry crept into her mind though that that information alone, while it would create a stir, wasn’t enough of a reason to call for a summit.

Before Sara could question Yuuri on that line of thought further, Guang Hong beat her to it, “That’s not enough reason to call a summit though, what’s this whole thing really about?” He asked softly, eyes filled with concern. Guang Hong never had malintent, but he wouldn’t hesitate to cut to the heart of the issue.

Yuuri’s shoulders tensed, getting the vague impression of being interrogated. He knew his friends meant well but still, these questions weren’t easy ones to answer by any stretch of the imagination. Minami could see Yuuri freezing up and his mind raced for a way to shift the focus away from Yuuri. Shifting it to Sara would be cruel. He needed a way that would guarantee a serious shift of the conversation. Stretching for something light, like whether Leo and Guang Hong wanted children, or if Sara had any funny stories of Michele to tell them wouldn’t cut it. Those both would be seen immediately for the weak distraction attempts they were. Just as Minami resigned himself to play the role of sacrificial lamb, Yuuri spoke quickly, “Viktor Nikiforov is my soulmate. Yes, I’m sure, it’s been proven countless times. Yes, it’s part of the reason I ended the war. No, I didn’t know it was Viktor when I ended the war. Yes, I only found out recently. And yes, he did keep me safe during my most recent heat.” Yuuri said this in a fast and cold voice, only giving away his emotions at the end when his voice trembled, “And yes I am aware someone will probably challenge me to a duel tomorrow for the spot of leader because of it. And no, I’m not sure I’ll make it out of it alive.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Which part caused the most shock was hard to tell. While Yuuri’s friends of course knew him well, knowing he’d put his life in grave danger and hearing him admit that he might be looking death in the eye tomorrow were two entirely different things. Leo sat up and frowned, taking the situation seriously and trying to find a good way to convey his reaction, but words failed him. Sara’s eyes widened at Yuuri, realization that he might very well have it worse than her sinking in, “Do you think they’d just have Mina become the new leader?” She offered weakly, no duel meant Yuuri wouldn’t die and right now that was the main concern.

Minami shook his head and looked at his hands fiddling together in his lap, “Yuri Plisetsky is my soulmate so I doubt it.” Minami had never regretted Yuri being his soulmate, what he felt for the other was too intense for that, but he did regret the inevitable reaction from the pack. Historical precedent showed that this would most likely end with blood shed.

The words hung heavy in the air. Sara realized now why Minami had hardly batted an eye at Mila being her soulmate, he had no room to talk about vampires being soulmates to werewolves. Yuuri seemed to be on the same page too. Especially considering Yuuri probably would’ve denied that Viktor was his soulmate for as long as possible if he didn’t want Viktor in his life.

While Sara was reeling about the revelations of who Minami’s and Yuuri’s soulmates were, Leo was trying to work out how he felt about this. On one hand, he doubted Guang Hong would care and he personally didn’t care one way or another, but on the other hand, this was going to cause a riot among the other pack members. If Yuuri wasn’t the pack leader it would be easy for the pack to decide, simply exile. If he wasn’t an omega, it would be unfortunate but many would be able to get over it since no children could come of it. Someone else would just be needed to take over after him. But as an omega _and_ the pack leader, that meant there was a possibility that there would be children. Those children would have the right as wolves to be considered for leadership one day, while on the same hand many would consider them abominations of nature. Yuuri’s birthright should’ve guaranteed him a spot as a pack member, if not the pack leader, for his entire life, but a vampire soulmate was traditionally an immediate call for exile.

The second part of the equation was also figuring out who would become the next pack leader or even just how they would pick the next one. Assuming Mari chose absolute loyalty to the pack, she could theoretically have a scientifically created baby using her genes for the next leader. The issue being was that she didn’t seem to have any interest in having children. Plus, some of the elder’s might even argue that a baby created in such a way wasn’t even really a viable candidate for pack leader based on its origin. Meaning they would have to decide on someone outside of the pack leader’s family line. Which, was less than ideal considering how Hiroko died to have Yuuri and it would make her sacrifice in vain.

Leo was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a hiccup. Looking to his right he saw Guang Hong pushing tears away from his eyes, looking frustrated and distressed, “If they try to hurt you I’ll punch their lights out.” He said as threateningly as he could to no real avail. Guang Hong’s round face gave him the distinct impression of being the opposite of dangerous. It was adorable, but not helpful, “You’ve given up so much! If they don’t have enough loyalty to you to realize that’s more important than precedent, then that’s a fault in them.” He said stubbornly before adding, “Both of you have, and I, for one, intend to always be on both of your sides.” Guang Hong wiped away his tears again with a determined look, “I’ve known you my entire life, there’s no way I’d leave you guys now.”

At Guang Hong’s side, Leo nodded in agreement, “I’m not sure how I feel about Nikiforov and Plisetsky, but we’re friends too, I’m with you guys.” Leo said with a small smile, rubbing Guang Hong’s back soothingly. “What about you, Sara?” He asked, looking over at her.

Sara still looked shell shocked and it took a few moments for her to snap out of it. Knowing she had to tell them now or never she responded, “Mila Babicheva is my soulmate. She’s a vampire as well. So, I’m uh, with you guys too I guess.” She said, looking down, afraid to look up. Minami and Yuuri clearly had just found out about their soulmates considering how recently the war ended, she had known for years though about Mila. Knowing that sent fear through her regarding if her friends would forgive her blatant lies over the past few years regarding her soulmate. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, doing her nails utterly forgotten, as tears slid down her face. She felt ashamed of the secret. Mila was well known for being a ruthless uncontrollable force on the battlefield. Even knowing the horrible things Mila had done for her people, Sara couldn’t help but love her soulmate. Sara’s head snapped up when she felt a hand on her shoulder, her eyes wide.

“Then it looks like we’re all in the same boat,” Yuuri said, squeezing her shoulder gently, “I’m glad you’re on our side.” He said smiling reassuringly. It was left unsaid that what Yuuri was really trying to do was comfort her. Sara stared into his eyes for a moment, processing his words and his actions. After a slight pause though she tackled him with a hug, thankful she wasn’t hated.

-

Hours and plenty of catching up later, Yuuri tiredly stumbled back into his and Viktor’s room. Turns out the five of them had a lot to discuss. Sara was seriously considering how she was going to tell Mila who she was. Guang Hong was pregnant, though they weren’t sure if it was a boy or girl. Minami had met Mila in Russia along with Yuri’s grandfather. And of course, everyone had to ask a million questions when they noticed Yuuri wearing a bonding necklace.

Finally, though the door was shut behind him and Yuuri started tugging at his clothes, trying to get more comfortable. Yuuri looked over at the bed and saw Viktor sitting up while reading a book. Yuuri froze and slightly frowned when he realized something. He might die tomorrow. If someone challenged him there was a strong possibility he would. His body wasn’t healed enough to guarantee victory.

With that thought sinking into the back of his mind, Yuuri acted on instinct. In a moment Yuuri was straddling Viktor’s legs and pulling him into a kiss, ignoring the book entirely. Physical intimacy was still newer for them. Since Yuuri’s heat it had only been lingering touches and brief kisses but they could both feel the desire. What Yuuri did remember from his heat was pleasure unlike anything he had felt before. So much so that it made his chest ache with longing for touches. His mind would wander, wondering what each thing he imagined would feel like.

Previously Yuuri refused to think about such things unless he absolutely couldn’t avoid them, but now that he was starting to realize that he could actually _have_ a sex life it was hard to ignore. It was even harder to ignore when he felt Viktor’s desire creeping in through the soul connection. The connection was so open between them these days that they could even feel emotions that caught the other by surprise. It was increasingly common though for a flash of a little more skin then normal to cause the other’s heart to stutter. Yuuri’s skin had healed so smoothly that it made Viktor want to pierce it and listen to the musical sounds Yuuri would make. On Yuuri’s side, since most of what he remembered from his heat was feelings, he longed to get to see more of what Viktor looked like undressed.

Viktor kissed back on instinct and tossed the book off the bed, having forgotten the story completely in favor of responding to the rush of emotions coming through the Yuuri’s side of the soul connection. Lust, passion, desire and something Viktor couldn’t quite name wrapped together to form the whirlwind of emotions Yuuri was feeling and Viktor was more than eager to respond. Viktor’s hands slid up the back of Yuuri’s shirt, desperate to feel more of Yuuri’s skin underneath him. Viktor moved to sit up more and the jostling caused a whimper to escape Yuuri’s lips.

Yuuri was more aware of what was happening than he was during his heat, and that caused the realization of where this could lead to pop into the front of his mind. They could end up having sex. Yuuri felt the panic and bubble in his chest but not necessarily from that. He wanted to have sex with Viktor. He wanted to give everything to Viktor even if it was just once before he died. He wanted Viktor to have no doubt that Yuuri loved him if he was dead by the end of the next day.

The desperation and panic mixed until tears started dripping down Yuuri’s face. Yuuri didn’t notice at first, but he did when Viktor pulled back in alarm. Yuuri blinked rapidly to clear the tears from his eyes as he looked at Viktor, unsure of what to say or do about the tears continuing to come down his face. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die. Viktor stared at Yuuri before pulling him into a tight hug as Yuuri’s face expression crumbled and he began to sob. He was scared. He was so very scared of losing this tiny forming happiness that his life was becoming.

Viktor held Yuuri tightly and rubbed his back, letting Yuuri cry it out for a few minutes. When Yuuri’s sobs got slightly quieter, Viktor spoke in a soothing voice while rubbing Yuuri’s back, “You’re not going to die tomorrow. You’re going to be fine and you’re going to live. If worst comes to worst I’ll step in and save you. I’m not going to let you die on me. You have so much life left to live and I intend to be there to see it all.” He whispered, letting the love he felt for Yuuri fill the connection. Yuuri was going to live or so help him Viktor would destroy those responsible and make them suffer his pain for the rest of their miserable lives.

-

When Yuuri, Minami, Viktor, and Yuri walked into the conference room the following day for the official portion of the summit, the silence was deafening. No one was fool enough to believe that it wasn’t completely intentional and relevant that Viktor and Yuri were there but the reaction of the room was still laced with confusion.

The room held all the most influential members of the pack. While that did leave many, many people in attendance that weren’t in the room, the room still had plenty of people: Leroy Sr, Minako, Celestino, Michele, Sara, JJ, Mateo Montoya, Vincent Crispino, Angela Crispino, Alain Leroy, Nathalie Leroy, Sebastian Montoya, and, of course, Mari. Unfortunately, the only person guaranteed to side with them was Sara. Everyone else was a wild card. Parents have turned on children many times in Sara’s case and Celestino and Minako might have changed their minds about backing Yuuri up as well.

Alain Leroy, JJ’s father, broke the silence first, “Out of obligation, explain the situation, and then we shall discuss it.” He spat out to Yuuri before settling on glaring down Viktor with a look that confirmed his undeniable hatred of the vampire.

All eyes were on Yuuri as he composed himself as best he could and spoke, “Within the past few months two things have come to my attention regarding my own position. Alongside two other pieces of information that need to be discussed.” Yuuri paused, regretful that he was going to have to bring up Minami’s and Sara’s soulmate situation but he knew he needed to bring up everything at the same time. “I presented as an omega and have come to realize Viktor Nikiforov is my soulmate.” Another slight pause, “Yuri Plisetsky is Minami’s soulmate and Mila Babicheva, a Russian vampire, is Sara’s.”

The shock and silence was tangible before chaos erupted. So many things were said in the respective owner’s native tongues that it was hard to keep track of. All three of the other Crispino’s rounded on Sara in outrage at the information being kept from them. Mateo and Sebastian, Mateo’s brother, seemed to be murmuring to Alain and Nathalie Leroy about it angrily and with barely concealed distaste. Mari was glaring down Viktor. Celestino and Minako were both in a heated discussion with Leroy Sr. nearly instantly. JJ was sitting silent with the slightest pleased expression on his face.

Minami was visibly uncomfortable and shifting nervously, this was going worse than he would have liked, much much worse. Viktor and Yuri sat mostly expressionlessly as they each tried to gauge the room to little success. Yuuri refused to let his expression change from pure lack of emotion, even as Leroy Sr. rose his hand to silence the room.

Once everyone was silent, he spoke, “Normal protocol is exile. But in this case, I believe an exception should be made. Exile would suit Sara and Minami for their situations but,” He paused, looking Yuuri dead in the eye, “To keep the Katsuki’s good name intact, and for the sake of the pack’s reputation, I believe execution would better suit Yuuri’s situation.”

Viktor’s fingers dug into his arm, taking the entirety of his self-control not to get up and crush the old man’s throat. Minami sucked in a fast breath, horrified. Yuuri though didn’t bat an eye, his determination and resolve keeping him together. Mari stood up quickly from her chair, causing it to go flying back, harsh words already flying from her tongue, “ _You god-forsaken bastard! How dare you even suggest such a ridiculous thing!? I should kill you just for suggesting that you stuck-up self-righteous fucking bastard with no concept of goddamn morality!”_ Thankfully for Mari, herself, Minako, Minami, and Yuuri were the only ones who could understand her rapid fire Japanese.

JJ waited for Mari to stop before he spoke, “Grandfather, that’s far too harsh.” JJ smiled in what was an attempt to be sympathetically at Yuuri, “Why don’t we take this outside and I duel Yuuri? Winner is pack leader, loser, well, you know how proper duels work.”

-

After a small round of bickering and clarification JJ’s suggestion was taken. It was obvious that they agreed because it saved them the immediate guilt associated with it if Yuuri died. No one wanted to make the moral decision over which came first, logic and loyalty to the pack or morality. Or even if they were willing they were fine keeping the blood off their hands.

JJ was fine taking the fall in that regard, if that’s what it took to become leader, he’d kill Yuuri no doubt about it. It had been the greatest frustration of his life to watch the Katsuki’s flail and tear themselves apart for the sake of pack leader. It was horribly sad and every time JJ thought of it he couldn’t help but think he was better suited to the job. That his family was having no trouble keeping going and that Yuuri was fighting a losing battle. It would be good to mercifully end it.

The pack members in attendance had assembled around a large clearing within a forest, sticking to sitting on or near the trees. There had to be well over two hundred people there and with all eyes on Yuuri, it was hard to focus. The fight had yet to start and he, Viktor, Yuri, and Minami were all grouped together a little into the field. They would go in a moment but it offered them the most privacy they were going to get so they stayed there. Minami was crying softly with Yuri rubbing his back. Viktor was watching Yuuri and with a concerned look, through the connection, they were speaking. “ _I won’t watch you die today.”_

Yuuri bit his lip and nodded, accepting that Viktor was not going to change his stance. Sara, Mari, and Alex, Mari’s soulmate, were waiting in the trees nearby, knowing to give the couple space. All too soon though, the fight needed to begin and Yuri, Minami and Viktor went to join the others on the sidelines, knowing there was nothing more that they could do except watch.

Yuuri walked towards the center, meeting JJ there. “No hard feelings?” JJ asked, knowing damn well that there were plenty of hard feelings. Yuuri nodded and with that the fight began. The two lunged for each other, Yuuri going for a kick that JJ easily blocked by grabbing Yuuri’s leg and dampening the impact. Yuuri hissed as he tried to pull his leg back to no avail, JJ was not about to let go of such a good opportunity.

JJ’s grip tightened on Yuuri’s leg, giving an experimental squeeze to test the waters. Yuuri immediately winced, cursing his fragile body for being more susceptible to injury and pain. Grinning JJ started to squeeze down harder, fully ready to crush the bone and end this fight before it even began. Yuuri growled though and yanked his leg free before JJ’s grip got too much tighter.

Yuuri knew he had to focus more, hide and control his emotions. This was a battle to the death and that meant he needed to have every single guard up he possessed. As he was trying to center himself, JJ noticed how Yuuri stopped moving and swept Yuuri’s legs out from under him with a swift kick. Yuuri flopped to the ground, thankfully managing to control any reaction to the pain.

JJ took this opportunity to transform, going slower to savor the palpable reaction of awe from the crowd. He was literally sweeping the floor with Yuuri after all. But this was going too fast, he should savor taking Yuuri down. Consequently, JJ decided he’d let the fight drag on until it was a mercy kill.

Honestly, in normal circumstances JJ would never try to kill an opponent and certainly not Yuuri. But before the battle Isabella held him close and had him promise not to die on her. Her tears and pleading was something JJ could not shake. It was Yuuri or him and he was never going to let anything tear him away from Isabella prematurely. He loved her and their life together was still starting, hell they hadn’t even had any children yet. He couldn’t abandon her like that and if Yuuri’s life was what it would take to guarantee a safe life for Isabella then so be it.

Yuuri’s mind raced as he tried to formulate the best plan of action as JJ charged again, Yuuri sidestepped the blow and moved away to put more distance between them. Fighting someone in wolf form was difficult. The limited maneuverability the form possessed was exchanged tenfold for the added strength. Only the fastest and most confident fighters could try to out maneuver a wolf up close with the risk of being crushed looming over them.

Yuuri briefly considered transforming but with how weak his body felt he doubted that would result in anything other than him blacking out. With that thought in mind he started to formulate a plan.

The fight continued with JJ charging multiple times and usually missing Yuuri. But every few attempts a claw would tear through Yuuri’s clothes as JJ ran by. The first few times it was just the clothing that tore, but after a few swipes, one hit skin.

The scent of Yuuri’s blood filling the air marked the turning of the battle. One more charge missed him but after that they all tore fabric or skin. Yuuri was slowing down and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. The more he smelled his blood the more panic that twisted into his scent. He was losing, badly. When Yuuri’s shirt was barely more than a few shreds of fabric miraculously holding together, JJ decided to change tactics up a bit since the current style of fighting was getting old.

JJ changed to lunging for any of Yuuri’s limbs that got too close. JJ just needed to get a hold of one and this would be over. A wolf could easily shatter a leg with a decent strength bite. Desperation was becoming tangible in the air from Yuuri’s panic and the people watching knew the fight was nearly over. Some parents started preparing to cover their children’s eyes even.

All too soon, JJ’s teeth found purchase in Yuuri’s leg, grabbing him and flinging him to the ground. The sound of snapping bones filled the air and a cry of pain escaped Yuuri’s lips. Tears rushed to his eyes as he realized this was it. JJ placed a paw on Yuuri’s chest, staring down at Yuuri. There was triumph mixed with regret as he pressed down slightly, guaranteeing that Yuuri wasn’t going anywhere. Yuuri’s hands gripped the dirt as he braced himself for what was inevitably about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think, comments literally make my day and fuel my passion for writing.


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